One Hundred Ways
by miss-maiaa
Summary: One Hundred Ways to say "I Love You", Arthur and Gwen style. Modern!AU.
1. 1

of course, credit must be given to p0ck3tf0x on tumblr, who came up with this amazing list. reading it just inspired me to write.

as the title says, this is going to be a massive story. by the end i will have written 100 pages, which is one of my biggest writing goals ive ever set for myself. they're not going to be very long drabbles but with the amount of chapters, i don't think they need to be super long... without further ado, here is way #1!

* * *

 _1: Pull over. Let me drive for a while._

His hands gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white, eyes wide open. He was dangerously close to falling asleep and Jesus, it would not end up well if he did. Gwen was already sleeping, snoring away in the passenger seat. If only he had called dibs on sleeping first, if only he had been quicker to say something. Not only was he the worse driver out of the two, he was the one who got more tired easier. And his car radio was broken so there was nothing to listen to but the sound of wind pressing against the car and Gwen's baby-quiet moans and breaths and that was not enough to keep his brain active. He tried humming to himself and looked over at her quickly. She begun to stir.

"Good evening, sleepyhead," he teased, holding back a yawn.

"What time is it?" she mumbled, pulling her phone out from the cupholder.

"Probably around 2," Arthur said and she nodded.

She didn't fall back asleep and instead watched out the front window, occasionally glancing down at her phone. She was probably texting Merlin. He was so worried about them driving in the dark and he and Arthur had had a very heated conversation about the dangers of nighttime driving but they would not budge. He was in the hospital, for god's sake – did he honestly expect them not to visit him? Of course they would, no matter what. Although they did expect to be handed a bit of the silent treatment when they arrived. Oh well. As long as he knew they cared.

"Pull over," Gwen said abruptly. Arthur followed her order, confused.

"What's up?" he asked, stifling another yawn.

"Let me drive," she told him.

He shook his head. "Gwen, no, it's –"

She smiled. "Arthur, please," she said. "You're so tired, I can see you holding back those yawns. And we want to arrive at the ER in one piece. Those doctors have enough on their plate." She put a hand on his leg. "I'm fully rested and ready to go. Get some sleep."

"Okay," he agreed. Five minutes later he was fast asleep.


	2. 2

_2: It reminded me of you._

Gwen winced. "This is it?" she asked.

Arthur nodded. "Yup."

The soft thrum of ukulele emitted from the small radio that was normally in the corner of the room – however it was now placed in the blond man's lap, its cord being wrapped around a slim finger. Speaking of the blond man, a wide grin was stretched across his tanned, scruffy face and his eyes probed Gwen's for her feelings towards the song that was playing. Her eyes gave no hint as to her emotions, however, and he lowered the volume and stared at her. "You don't like it?"

"It's just…" Gwen shrugged. "This isn't normally the music you listen to, Arthur."

He nodded again. "I know," he said, "but it reminded me of you."

She looked at him. "What?"

"Well," he began, "you like that ukulele music, don't you?"

Gwen's head bobbed.

"It just… reminded me of you," he said sheepishly. "I thought you might like it. I thought of you when I heard it, I was like, 'hey, maybe Gwen'll like this'."

She smiled, picked up her pillow and threw it at him. "Of course I like it."

He smiled in return. "Good."


	3. 3

_3\. No, no, it's my treat._

Merlin had already paid his bill and was now sitting at the bus stop bench, tapping his foot impatiently and looking around. He hated it when buses were early or late – basically if they were anything but on time – and if the bus driver did not arrive at exactly 6:46 p.m. he was going to get scolded by a boy with a red shirt and a blue scarf. Gwen laughed, threw her coat around her shoulders and pulled her hair out from underneath her collar, watching as Arthur grabbed her purse from the booth and held it out to her. "Don't worry about paying today," he said, guiding her through the stuffy restaurant as they made their way to the register. "I'll pay for you."

Gwen frowned. "Arthur, I have money," she informed him.

"I know, I know, but I should pay for you," he told her. "You are a lady and a lady should be treated properly."

Gwen sighed. "I'm not going to talk you out of this, am I?" she asked him.

He flashed her one of his signature Pendragon grins. "Not a chance," he said. "It's my treat."

After paying for their meals – which only rounded up to about 23.47, he recounted to her as they made their way across the parking lot to the bus stop. As they arrived, the bus pulled up right on time – 6:46 pm. Merlin hurried on and Arthur went to get on, but at the last second pulled away and swept his hand forward. "After you, m'lady," he said to Gwen, and she giggled as she hopped onto the bus. He kept a hand on her arm, following her down the aisle, and only took it away when he knew she was able to keep herself balanced and let her slide into a seat before shuffling in beside her.


	4. 4

_4\. Come here. Let me fix it._

Gwen watched Arthur's bottom lip stick out in a pout and smiled. "What's wrong," she asked him.

"My shirt has a rip in it," he responded.

"Does widdle baby Arthur not know how to fix his shirt?" Gwen mocked playfully, unravelling herself from the armchair and crossing the room to sit next to him on the couch.

Arthur shot her a glare. "I don't know how to sew, Gwen," he said. "Please, fix my shirt for me."

Gwen pretended to think about it. "Hmmm," she mumbled, putting her hand on her chin. "No."

Arthur sighed. "Gwen, please," he asked.

She rolled her eyes. "I have better things to do."

Abruptly Arthur flung himself to the ground at her feet. "Guinevere de Marshe, please for the love of all things holy, fix my damn shirt," he said, putting his hands together in prayer. "I will do all of your laundry for the next week."

Gwen stood up. "I don't want you touching my underwear," she told him, stepping over him to get back to her seat.

"Gwen –"

"Arthur," she laughed, turning around. "Come here. Let me fix it. I _was_ just kidding, you know."

Arthur got up from the ground and followed her to her seat, handing her the white shirt and perching himself on the arm of the chair. After he did so she looked at him indignantly and shook her head. "If I'm going to do this, I need you to go get my sewing kit," she told him. "It's under my bed, behind some boxes of… stuff."

Arthur grinned. "What kind of stuff?" he questioned.

"Nothing," Gwen told him, "but if you look through them, and I will know if you do, I'm not afraid to make a couple more rips in your shirts. And maybe not just the shirts…"

"Okay, okay," Arthur said, throwing up his hands in defeat. "Just the sewing kit. You got it, princess."


	5. 5

_5\. I'll walk you home._

Gwen blinked back her tears as she pushed her way outside of the club, past the bodyguards, howling females and barking males, past the clear glass door layered with posters, past the smell of alcohol and pot, pushing past everything until she was standing in the middle of the cold, empty street, a flyer fluttering past her head in the autumn wind. She ran her hands through her curly brown hair and looked around. She didn't know this part of town – it wasn't too far from her apartment but she still had never had a reason to come over here – and had no idea where Arthur was. He had disappeared an hour ago, before that creep started making moves on Gwen and groping her without permission. She pulled out her phone and was beginning to write him a lengthy text when a car pulled up. A window rolled down.

"Hey, Gwen," Arthur said, stepping out of the car. "Sorry for ditching you, I had to do some stuff with the guys." He jerked his thumb back to example the drunken specimens behind him. "Hey, are you okay?"

Gwen shook her head. "I'm fine," she told him. As happy as she was to see him, she was mad, too. None of this would've happened if he had just stayed with her like he promised he would. She glanced away, brushing hair from her face, ignoring him as he told the guys to bugger off and approached her. "What about the guys?"

"They'll have fun without me," he responded.

"How are we going to get home?" she asked. She hadn't brought any money, all she had was her ID – she hadn't been planning on buying any drinks or anything.

"I don't have money and I know you don't," Arthur said, biting his lip. "We can walk."

"You're not going to leave again?" Gwen asked bitterly.

Arthur shook his head. "I'm sorry about that, Gwen, I didn't think you would mind," he apologized. "I'll walk you all the way home. I'll stay right by your side until you get to your bedroom door and I won't leave then if you don't want me to."

Gwen looked back at him and gave him a gentle shove. "I don't forgive you," she replied, "but I do think a walk home sounds nice."


	6. 6

_6: Have a good day at work._

Gwen brushed her hair into a tight bun at the back of her head, frowning at her reflection. She hated tying her hair back – she thought it made her face look too square and blocky. But it wasn't like she could get out of it. No one wanted curly brown hair in their omelets or in their lasagna. She secured it with a simple white elastic and ran her hand over the back to smooth out any bumps. Once she was finished putting on her minimal amount of make-up (she didn't really like wearing too much), she hip-checked the bathroom door open and grabbed her purse and coat from the pile she made beside the door. As she passed by Arthur's bedroom, she heard him clear his throat and pulled back, poking her head through the doorway.

"Where are you going?" he asked, propping himself up on one elbow. He must've heard her moving around – he hated having his bedroom door closed so he always heard everything and always knew what she was doing. Sometimes if she was watching TV at 3 in the morning he would join her until she fell asleep on the couch and he would return to his bedroom, where he could sleep unperturbed.

"Work," Gwen replied, tucking hair behind her ear. "I have the morning shift and then Merlin and I are going out for lunch and to that concert. I won't be home until late."

"Oh," Arthur said. He sounded disappointed. "Well, have a good day at work, Gwen." He fell back in bed.

"Aren't you going to work too?" she asked.

"Took the day off," he told her.

"Oh," she said. "You can watch that show but don't watch any episodes without me."

Arthur chuckled. "I won't, princess. Now go. I don't want you losing rent money because I can't stop talking."


	7. 7

_7: I dreamt about you last night._

Gwen sat crossed-legged on the seat beside Arthur, spooning noodles into her mouth.

"Get the show set up," she ordered as she nudged him with her elbow.

Arthur glared at her. "Why don't you do it?"

She shrugged. "I don't wanna," she told him. "Come onnnnn."

He heaved a loud, dramatic sigh but got up anyway, opening the case of their new favourite TV show and inserting the disc into the DVD player. They always managed to find time at least once a day to watch a couple episodes – they never watched it without each other, and if they did it would result in severe punishment – and today, since they both had the day off without classes or work or previous plans, they were marathonning the end of the third season. He collapsed on the couch once more and flipped through all of the previews. Gwen turned to him.

"I dreamt about you last night," she said.

Arthur turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "So that's what all that noise was…" he said cheekily, raising his arms in protest as she smacked him with a pillow.

"You're a jerk," she pouted.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Arthur told her. "Tell me about the dream."

"Well," Gwen started. "It was… weird."

"Weird how?"

"Well…." She didn't quite know how to explain it. It was… rather odd and probably sounded really stupid. She had obviously spent too much time watching Medieval documentaries on the history channel. She watched so many that castles and knights and swords filled her mind at night. "You were… a prince."

"A prince?" Arthur scoffed.

"Yes, and I was like… A maid servant… and we fell in love even though it wasn't allowed?"

Arthur leaned back. "Sounds like torture," he said. "I would hate to have to keep my feelings for you a secret." This rewarded him with another smack with a pillow and he laughed. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Keep going."

Gwen's focus turned to the TV. "Press play, would you?"


	8. 8

you guys were wondering a couple things - princess is just arthur's nickname for gwen, but its just an unimportant detail (you could say he stole it from gwaine, haha) and yes, they are roommates :) thank you all for reading and for continuing to read this story and i cant wait for the futuree!

* * *

 _8: Take my seat._

The two people piled onto the overly-crowded bus. Arthur slid into the only open seat he could find and Gwen began to follow, only finding that there was no room for her to sit down. She quickly began to look around for a free handle to hold onto and there was one – although it was covered in gum and was a darker shade of brown than the rest of them. She winced and tentatively grabbed onto it, and when she felt the stickiness she practically retched then and there but didn't want to make a fool of herself. She pulled out her phone with her free, not-sticky hand when she felt a hand on her back. Arthur.

"Take my seat," he whispered.

Gwen shook her head. "Arthur, it's fine, I –"

"Gwen, please," he said. "I don't want you vomiting all over these nice strangers. They have places to be too."

Gwen smiled and sat down at his seat, burrowing herself deeper in her jacket as the warmth radiating through her body. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her ear. "I warmed it up just for you," he murmured, not trying to disguise the sound of a grin on his lips. She reached out and smacked his arm before he retreated back, the grin not faltering, not even once, for the rest of the entire ride. He was still grinning when they got off.


	9. 9

_9: I saved a piece for you._

The room was loud. The lights flashed on and off, the bass of the electric guitar from the radio vibrated through the floor, and drinks were being spilled and sloshed about. Arthur frowned, getting up from his armchair to quickly slide a coaster under a red solo cup and then leaned back. Where had Gwen disappeared too? Speaking of Gwen, this was her party. He really hoped she was having a good time. Although maybe it would have been a better decision to pick that ukulele music she liked instead of rock… did she like the music? He hoped so.

"Here," she said, appearing out of nowhere and handing him a slice of cake. Chocolate, their favourite.

"I could've got up, Gwen," he told her, taking the plate from her hands. Gwen laughed and sat on the arm of the couch.

"Arthur, I know for a fact you're not going to leave this seat unless it's guaranteed no one will make a mess," she giggled. "I saved you a piece of cake. I know you weren't going to get up."

Arthur forked some cake into his mouth. It was _heavenly_. "Jesus, this is good," he mumbled blissfully. Gwen laughed again.

"I could've eaten it on my way over here but I didn't, so you owe me," she informed him.

"Of course," he said, reaching up to snake his hand around her waist in a half-hug. "Happy birthday, Gwen."

"Where's my real present?" she asked.

"You'll get it soon, m'lady," Arthur mumbled through a mouthful of cake.

It was a ukulele. Robin's egg blue.


	10. 10

1/10 of the way through :) thanks for reading and thanks for sticking by this story.

* * *

 _10: I'm sorry for your loss._

"My dad say Cali passed away," Arthur said lifelessly as Gwen came through the door.

Cali, short for Excalibur, was Arthur's childhood best friend. He had gotten the pooch, a sleek, golden lab, for his eleventh birthday. When they were both young and spritely and small, they would go for adventures in the woods. Arthur would climb trees to get big, sturdy sticks and Cali would roam around the forest floor, picking up interesting or shiny things he found on the ground. They would stay out there for hours, doing whatever their little hearts desired. Cali was one of the few friends who stuck by Arthur no matter what. And now he was gone.

He had pictures of him, of course, and his old collar and his old dog bowl (he got too fat and old to use either and needed bigger versions of them). But he hadn't even gotten to say goodbye. Because Cali was young and he wasn't supposed to have died for another few years, when Arthur hoped to have his own house and hoped to have taken him from his father's care and looked after him. But now they would never have that future together. He would never throw him another dog bone, never hand-feed him treats, never watch the stars at midnight in the backyard while lying on Cali's stomach. He would never ever get to do anything fun with his dog ever again. Gwen threw her things on the ground and rushed over, sitting on the couch beside Arthur and pulling him into a hug.

"I'm sorry, Arthur," Gwen murmured.

"I just… didn't see it coming, you know?" Arthur croaked, resting his teary eyes on her shoulder. "I thought I was gonna be there. And it was so unexpected."

"I know, hun, I know," Gwen cooed softly, pressing her lips in a gentle kiss on the top of his head. "But I'm sure he knew you would've wanted to be there. I don't think he's mad. I think he will miss you."

"I hope so," Arthur mumbled. She ran her thumb along his damp cheek. "Gwen –"

"Do you want me to make you some soup?" Gwen suggested.

"Yes please," Arthur said. He pulled his sleeves up over his wrist and ran the fabric underneath his eyes. He felt like a little kid again, but he wished he was, because then he would've gotten to spend more time with Cali. He looked up at Gwen. "I'm sorry," he whimpered. He didn't like making her do things for him; she had a long day too…

"Arthur," she said firmly, "it's fine." She cleared her throat. "I'm really sorry for your loss, Arthur."


	11. 11

_11: You can have half._

Gwen frowned as Arthur chugged down his chocolate milkshake.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said, turning away and running her spoon over the bottom of her empty ice cream bowl. If only she had gotten bigger than a small – her mouth was watering for more…

"Do you miss your red velvet chocolate chunk ice cream?" Arthur teased, taking a big slurp of his drink.

Gwen nodded. "Yes," she said.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have eaten it so quickly," he teased again.

"Arthur Pendragon, you are very rude," Gwen harrumphed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Arthur laughed. "No I'm not," he said in defense. "I am perfectly kind."

Gwen stayed quiet. Arthur flipped on his radio, a giant black boom box with stickers all over it. She frowned at his choice of music and turned to him but before she could say anything he interrupted her. "If you let me play my music," he began, "you can have half of my milkshake."

Gwen's eyes lit up. "Really?" she asked.

"Really," he said. "But you can't judge my music choice." He undid the top on the milkshake and carefully poured some into her plastic bowl. She put it to her mouth and slurped it up eagerly. She was PMSing, after all. Maybe that's why she craved so much chocolate. Arthur laughed and cranked up the volume as he began to bob his head to the beat.


	12. 12

_12: Take my jacket, it's cold outside._

Gwen shivered and brought her arms closer to her torso, shivering, biting her lip as the harsh winds pressed against her body. It wasn't event that bad, to be honest – the temperature was fairly nice. It was just the wind and the rain and the fact she was wearing a tank top and leggings at this time of the year. She briefly pulled her hand away to point at one of the paths ahead of the three, stating that it looked the shortest, and Merlin nodded before practically speeding away. Gwen went to follow him but felt a hand grab her arm. Arthur.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'm cold, Arthur, and please don't say 'I told you so'," she told him.

He chuckled but shook his head. "Here, take my jacket," he said.

Gwen pushed away his outstretched arm. "I can't, Arthur," she responded.

"Please, Gwen," he insisted. "I don't want to have to cook you chicken soup in bed for the next week. I have things to do."

Gwen giggled. "Are you sure?"

Arthur nodded.

She took the coat and put it on, smiling as the smell of Arthur's cologne wafted through her nostrils. He jogged ahead of her to catch up to Merlin, leaving her to yell, "Wait _up_ , Arthur Pendragon!"


	13. 13

_13\. Sorry I'm late._

Arthur tapped his foot impatiently. Gwen was supposed to have been here fifteen minutes ago. Where was she?

This was a very important dinner party. This was to be the first time Arthur's father would ever meet Gwen and Merlin and decide whether or not they would good enough to be Arthur's friends. Well, that wasn't really what it was – he just wanted to meet them, get to know them, but if they were bad or weird in any way he would not hold back on insisting Arthur meet better people. To which Arthur would argue that "these are the best people I've met, father, and I'm not going to stop hanging out with them just because you asked". And Gwen needed a heads-up if Arthur ever planned to move out, which he was not going to be doing any time soon, so his father's disapproval really would just make things more complicated.

"For the record, I offered her to cab with me," Merlin said, ruffling his hair. Morgana was going to be here. He wanted to look good; Arthur could tell.

"I know, Merlin," Arthur responded, pacing.

"For the record, you told her she didn't need to dress up," Merlin said.

"I know, Merlin," Arthur replied.

"Father says the food is getting cold," Morgana said, poking her head out of the dining room. "We need to hurry and eat or he will get mad."

"I know, Morgana," Arthur told her.

"I told you I had to get my hair done whether you wanted me to or not," Gwen said, pushing through the doors of the restaurant's normal eating area into the hallway of their reserved room. Her hair was curly and puffed out from her head. She only did her hair like this when she was going to do something important, so at least she wasn't slacking off with preparation. Arthur rolled his eyes and grabbed her wrist, pulling her over to the door.

"Sorry I'm late," she whispered to Arthur as they hurried over. It had just settled in – how much he cared about this dinner. Realization had just settled in. "Sorry, sorry."

He closed the door behind her and couldn't help but acknowledge how the dress hugged her body.


	14. 14

_14\. Can I have this dance?_

Gwen sniffled.

Arthur frowned.

"Gwen…."

"I'm fine."

He poked his head into the room.

Four days ago she was fired from her job for not being efficient enough and four days she had spent practically locked in her room. She wasn't crying (well, she didn't cry the whole time, she did do quite a bit when she had nothing to do); she was mainly just looking for new jobs and watching relationship videos on how to survive a bad break up. She had loved this job – the people she worked with, the way it worked, getting to interact with customers. It was pretty much Gwen's equivalent to a bad break up. She had been working at this place for a year and now they decided to throw her away, just like that. Arthur felt pretty horrible about the whole thing. Not like it was his fault, but still, it was horrible of them to just fire her like that and he felt horrible that he wasn't able to help.

"I can get you a job with dad –"

"I don't need a job," she murmured.

"Gwen, you can't just sit in your bed all day and mope," he said sternly, coming over to her bed and sitting down on the edge.

She reached over and turned up the volume on her classical music. She always listened to classical when she was upset or sad. Arthur sighed and leaned his head against the wall, placing a hand gently on what he guessed to be her leg. Carefully he drummed his fingers against the blanket to the beat of the song. Gwen pulled the blankets higher over her head and groaned. "Arthur…"

He interrupted her with a shush and started moving his toes. One two three, two two three, three two three, one two three. He pushed himself up from the end of the bed and went around to the front, pulling the blankets away from Gwen's face and holding out his hand.

"M'lady," he began, "can I have this dance?"

Reluctantly Gwen stood up. But they danced for hours.


	15. 15

_15\. I made your favourite._

 _Text to Gwen_ _J_ _, 7:36 pm_

 _Whut time r u gonna b home?_

 _Text to Arthur, 7:38 pm_

 _No idea, sorry._

 _Text to Gwen_ _J_ _, 7:39 pm_

 _You've been out all day!_

 _Text to Arthur, 7:43 pm_

 _I know, but I have more errands to run, and Morgana wants me to come over for dinner_

 _Text to Gwen_ _J_ _, 7:44 pm_

 _Gwen come on I wanna finish this ep of Castle_

 _Text to Arthur, 7:47 pm_

 _Arthur, Morgana really wants me to come over for dinner_

 _Text to Gwen_ _J_ _, 7:48 pm_

 _Plz come home tonight, I wanna watch a few eps_

 _Gwen_ _J_ _is typing…._

 _Text to Gwen_ _J_ _, 7:50 pm_

 _I made your favourite_

 _Text to Arthur, 7:51 pm_

 _Lasagna?_

 _Text to Gwen_ _J_ _, 7:52 pm_

 _Ya_ _J_

 _Text to Arthur, 7:54 pm_

 _I'll pick up some candy on the way home._


	16. 16

_16\. It's okay. I couldn't sleep anyway._

Arthur lay awake in bed, fumbling with his hair, running his hands through it. He had so much to think about; his dad's business getting slower and slower, Morgana not having enough money to pay rent, Merlin and his new girlfriend who Gwen insisted was nothing but trouble, and the fact he had no idea what courses he wanted to take in the fall. He had taken a break the years before, wanting to work for money and find his own place, and now this year he had still not registered, so his dad was getting all worried about him "needing to find a future" and "get an education before he got old". It was bullshit. He had plenty of time to take the courses he wanted to…. If he could actually decide what those were. He sighed, picked up his pillow and threw it at the wall. It knocked over a cup which fell onto the carpet with a loud smash. Arthur didn't look and instead rolled over, pressing his face into the pillows.

"You alright there, handsome?"

Arthur looked up. Gwen was standing in the doorway, her oversized t-shirt limply hanging from her shoulders, her curly brown hair pulled back into a clip, her eyes and voice thick with sleep. He nodded and pressed his face back into the fabric.

"Don't seem alright," she said, coming over to sit on his beanbag chair. She tipped her head back and her eyes closed.

"Sorry for the noise," Arthur murmured.

Gwen shook her head. "It's okay," she told him. "I couldn't sleep anyway."

Arthur reached out and touched Gwen's shoulder. "What do you wanna do when you grow up?" he asked.

Gwen sighed. "I dunno," she said softly. "Pass me a pillow, would ya?"

Arthur threw her one of the two pillows he had left on his bed as well as one of the quilts he had kicked askew. After a few minutes he could hear Gwen snoring; quiet, very quiet, and gentle. She had said she couldn't sleep anyway, but it seemed like she was trying to make him feel better. He watched her sleep before flipping over so his gaze was against the wall and drifting off to sleep too.


	17. 17

_17\. Watch your step._

Gwen wrapped her arm around Arthur's torso, groaning as he shifted his weight against her.

"For fuck's sake, Arthur, I can't do all the work," she breathed. Arthur only chuckled in reply.

"Oh Gwennie," the man slurred, reaching on a hand and brushing hair behind her ear, "you're strong. You can handle me… and the weight of my problems!" He let out a cackle before she dug her nails into his side, prompting his laughter to quiet down.

"You don't have problems," Gwen said.

"Oh Gwennie," Arthur said drunkenly. "I have more than you'd think."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact I have no idea what I want to do with my life and my best friend has a girlfriend and I don't and my dad might be going bankrupt and I don't want to go to college if I'm not one hundred percent one what I wanna do and…. Haha, your hair is pretty…"

Gwen grunted and pressed her nails into his side again.

"Okay, okay, I'll be quiet," Arthur told her. And then five second later he was going on and on about football and the meaning of the universe.

"Shut up, Arthur," Gwen told him, groaning again. "Please, for the love of God."

"Why Gwen?"

"Because I hate seeing you like this."

Silence fell between them.

The wind howled through the trees. Cars passed by the two, swerving dangerously through the empty roads, running over wrappers and cans in the middle of the street. Other than that, though, there were no other disturbances as the two walked back to their apartment. Arthur seemed to lighten himself against her shoulder and moved most of the weight so it wasn't all leaning on her. She appreciated the thought, really, but this was the reason why she didn't go out. She didn't like dealing with all of this...

"Gwen?"

"Yes, Arthur?" Gwen said exasperatedly.

"You're…. the best."

"Arthur Pendragon, just keep your mouth shut, would you? And watch your step."


	18. 18

_18\. Here, drink this. You'll feel better._

Arthur's brain thudded dully against his skull and he winced. Well, probably that's not what was going on up there, but he had no idea how headaches worked and wasn't going to look it up now. He could barely keep his eyes open because of the pain. He gritted his teeth and squeezed the pillows and his leg bounced up and down impatiently. "Gwen, please tell me what you're doing in there," he called out before closing his mouth again. He had bad headaches like this often. Genetics, his mom had told him when he was younger. But they had been worse since he started drinking. Maybe it was because the pain was heightened when he was hungover. Either way, it sucked ass.

"I'll be there in a second," Gwen shouted from the kitchen.

" _Gwen_ , please," Arthur said with gritted teeth.

" _Arthur_ , I'm sorry, give me a minute," Gwen yelled.

The pain began to subside a little once he stopped talking.

Gwen padded back into the room with a glass in one hand and a pill in the other. She came over to the couch and sat down beside Arthur, placing the pill in a palm he outstretched, saying, "Here, drink this, you'll feel better" as she handed him the glass. It was murky brown liquid but he knew it would be best to not go against what Gwen was saying. He raised an eyebrow at her which made the pain worsen and sucked in his breath before downing the pill and downing the drink in the glass soon after. When he drained the cup he began to cough – Jesus Christ that was disgusting.

"Sorry, I didn't think it would taste so bad," Gwen said, awkwardly bringing a hand up to pat him on the back.

"It does, Jesus," Arthur said, coughing into his elbow. But almost immediately he began to feel better, which was weird and very, very sudden. He winced and looked at the sludge leftover on the side of the glass. "What is that stuff?"

"Just a family recipe," Gwen said, unfolding her legs and stretching them out, balancing them on the coffee table.

"How do you make it?" Arthur said, leaning back as well.

" _Magic_ ," Gwen replied breathily, wiggling her fingers at him. He laughed and shoved them away, grinning, completely forgetting the pain in his head.


	19. 19

_19\. Can I hold your hand?_

Gwen's leg bounced up and down, her face just barely peeking out from behind a pillow, her hands shaking, her body rigid against the back of the couch. Arthur could barely hide his grin as he watched her. She was so cute when she got scared – well, the type of scared from scary movies – and whenever she did it he couldn't help but keep his eyes on her and not the screen. Ghosts and demons and pretty much everything paranormal were her greatest fears. She was so adorable sometimes… A sharp intake of breath from her hinted that something bad had happened in the movie and his bright blue eyes flickered away from her, watching the characters move across the screen with a frying pan and a butcher knife in their hands.

"A-Arthur?" Gwen asked, flicking her gaze over to him. "Can I hold your hand? Please?"

Arthur nodded and held it out. Delicately, Gwen put her own in it. He snaked his fingers through hers and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. Despite her fearful mood, her shaking stopped for a moment. Soon it returned. He could feel the vibrations running through her hand into his, running up his arm. Wait, what? That had never happened before. And to be honest Arthur wasn't even sure if it was possible… he frowned and squeezed her hand again as a hint to brace her for the oncoming jump scare. She hiccupped a scream when the monster's face popped in front of the screen and Arthur laughed. Like he said, she was so adorable sometimes. Although things seemed a lot cuter now than they had before.

He didn't pay attention to the rest of the movie, not even noticing it was finished. He had fallen asleep.

Gwen didn't want to take her hand from his just yet so she stayed put in her seat, leaned onto his shoulder and fell asleep soon after he did, the main menu's music still playing in the background.


	20. 20

_20: You can borrow mine._

"Gwen?"

Arthur poked his blond head through the door.

"Yeah?" Gwen mumbled sleepily, peeling her head from the pillow on her bed.

"I don't have my keys," Arthur told her.

"What happened to them?" Gwen was sleepy _and_ annoyed now – he could hear it in her voice, the way she didn't even hesitate in glaring at him. Arthur almost always lost his keys. He had a bad habit of leaving them at Merlin's or Elyan or wherever he had been the night before. Sometimes he locked them inside of their mailbox when he was taking out mail. Sometimes he left them at client's house after he finished doing work for them. He had no idea where they were this time, though. But he wasn't going to tell Gwen that. She was already upset enough and he didn't want to feel the pain of an even more intense wrath.

"I left them at Merlin's," Arthur lied.

Gwen sighed, burrowed her face into the pillow. "You have to stop doing stuff like this."

"I know," Arthur said, already moving away from the door.

"Arthur?"

He backed himself up to the doorframe.

Something was then thrown in his direction. He missed – it landed on the hardwood floor with a _clang_.

"You can borrow mine," Gwen started, "but do not lose them. For the love of God, Arthur, we need to get you a collar to keep your keys on. That way you'll always remember them."

"A collar?" Arthur repeated. "Gwen, I didn't peg you that sort of…" He didn't have time to finish before a pillow was thrown in his direction with more momentum than the keys. Laughing, he dodged the fluffy missile, bent down to pick it up, and hurled it back into the room, running down the hall before he could get aimed at again. As much as he would love to have a pillow fight with Gwen all day, he had things to do.

Like find his keys.

And hopefully not lose hers.


	21. 21

_21: You might like this._

"You might like this," Gwen said.

She held up a plastic bag with a giant red suit in it. It was a unicorn, complete with horn and sparkley silver spandex tights. "Guinevere, I don't think I'm the one who would like this," he chuckled, which was rewarded with balled-up fists to his biceps. "Okay, okay, I'm kidding. But you can't deny that it would make your evening…"

"Arthur Pendragon, I am going to kill you," Gwen said, emphasizing the word _kill_. Arthur reached up and pulled a costume off the rack beside copies of his.

"Hmm," he said, putting his free hand to his chin. "Look, Gwen, it's a cat! It has lacy stockings and a leather bra and paws and a headband and a tail! Oh man, Gwen, you'd look great. Better than the model." More punches.

"You might like _this_ ," Gwen said a little while later as they delved further and further into the adult costume section. She handed him a costume. It was a donkey mask with oversized teeth and big bulging eyes and he could see using the example photo that the wearer saw through the nostrils on the snout. Arthur laughed and put it back.

"Okay, come on, time to find some real costumes," Arthur said, wrapping his arm around Gwen's shoulders, pulling her away from the kitten costumes hanging from racks. She threw her head back in laughter and reluctantly followed him along, pointing out couple costumes on the way. None of them were good enough. They wanted a really cool, good-looking couple costume. One that was believable for the both of them. Although Gwen could be anything and it would look great on her. To be honest, she could be wearing a rag and still look good. He pulled his arm away and waited about two seconds before she pulled on it again.

"Look, look, you might like this one" she said, pointing at a big plastic bag hanging from a really high rack. The costume's title was 'Regal King and Queen'. The male costume was chainmail and a scarlet red cape and a crown; the female costume was a long red dress with jewels around the neckline and a small tiara. Arthur smiled.

"Gwen, I don't like it," he told her. "I love it."


	22. 22

we're more than 1/5 of the way through the story :( i hope you guys stick with it to the end and thank you for reading as always!

* * *

 _22._ _It's not heavy. I'm stronger than I look._

"Arthur, don't –"

"Gwen, honestly, I can take it."

"Arthur, don't hurt yourself, okay?"

"Gwen. It's not heavy. And I'm stronger than I look, which is really something, because I look pretty damn strong all the time."

Gwen laughed but bit her lip in worry nonetheless and didn't say another word until Arthur stumbled up the stairs several minutes later and the foot of the chair just grazed his pinky toe. She managed to exclaim an "Arthur!" before running over to make sure he was okay, even though that involved pushing down the stairs past the chair to get to him. He laughed, told her he was fine, and picked it up with a little less grace and more speed than before. He was probably tired, even if he wasn't going to admit it. Ever. Gwen was now hovering behind him, making sure that if he fell backwards, she could catch him. She told him he didn't have to do it; she could take it by herself, but no… He just had to prove that he was a buff, manly-man. He was so dumb sometimes. She laughed in spite of her worry and ignored his confused looks.

"Arthur, you really should learn to listen to me."

"I didn't think it actually landed on the toe, Gwen." This was said through gritted teeth as the alcohol set in, soaking his cut, making the toenail tingle and burn. She shook her head.

"From now on, I'm carrying my own furniture up the stairs."

Arthur patted the arm of the chair happily and leaned back. "Well, it's comfortable," he told her. "So at least the pain was worth it."


	23. 23

_23\. I'll wait._

 _Text to Arthur, 6:39 pm_

 _Hey, I'm not going to be getting home for an hour so why don't you go to the party without me_

 _Text to Gwen_ _J_ _, 6:42 pm_

 _No way! Morgana will be furious if I made u take a cab by urself or walk alone_

 _Text to Arthur, 6:43 pm_

 _Arthur, ughhh, just go please, I'm fine walking by myself_

 _Text to Gwen_ _J_ _, 7:14 pm_

 _You shouldn't be! Its scary outside at this time of night in the neighborhood and definitely not safe_

 _Text to Arthur, 7:16 pm_

 _Well I don't know what you wanna do, I'm far away and the bus doesn't come for half an hour_

 _Text to Gwen_ _J_ _, 7:23 pm_

 _I'll wait (:_

 _Text to Arthur, 7:27 pm_

 _Arthur, you've been talking about this party for literally the past week and can't stop talking about the hot girls you're going to meet, just go, please!_

 _Text to Gwen_ _J_ _, 7:30 pm_

 _Gwen im not going without you. I need my wingman_

 _Text to Arthur, 7:34 pm_

 _Merlin will be there._

 _Text to Gwen_ _J_ _, 7:35 pm_

 _Hes horrible at wingmanning and he'll be ogling freya all night anyway. I'll wait._


	24. 24

the amount of support you guys are giving me and this story is crazy so thank you all very much, it is very appreciated :)

* * *

 _24\. Just because._

 _Text to Arthur, 5:56 pm_

 _I have a surprise waiting for you when you get home_ _J_

 _Text to Gwen_ _J_ _, 6:00 pm_

 _Really?! I'll hurry home_

"Gwen, I can't, honestly…"

"Arthur, relax, it's no big deal."

"How much did it cost?"

Gwen rolled her eyes and laid a hand on his arm, smiling. "Arthur, come on," she told him. "It's a gift. You're not supposed to know the price."

Arthur ran the chain through his fingers, rubbing the small pendent at the end with his thumb. It was a simple necklace – nothing extravagant, as it had come up in one of their midnight chats on the couch drinking wine that both of them hated chunky, heavy jewelry – but still, it looked and felt expensive and he felt bad, considering she still hadn't gotten another job and probably spent a lot of her own money to pay for it. But it was beautiful, and Arthur knew for a fact he wasn't going to convince her to take it back…. He ran his thumb over the soft gold surface of the sword charm dangling from the end and looked up to see Gwen biting her lip, waiting for him to say something, anything. He knew she was probably jumping to conclusions and assuming he was mad at her so he smiled and looked back down at it. "I love it Gwen," he said softly. "But can I ask why you got it for me?"

Gwen shrugged, tugging at a loose thread on her sweatpants. "Just because."


	25. 25

ohmigosh, over 5000 views! thank you all so much :)

* * *

 _25\. Look both ways._

"Going out?" Gwen said, holding back a smile as Arthur came out of his room for the third time in five minutes with a different shirt on. In his hands were a tie and a bowtie as well, and when he got to the full-body mirror hanging beside the front door she could see his arms moving up and down as he held the accessories to his neck. He was getting ready to go out; probably with friends, but for some reason he was actually trying really hard to look good. It was odd. Normally he threw on jeans and a hoodie but here he was, wearing a dress shirt and thinking about wearing a tie. This was rather odd behavior.

"Yeah, I have a stupid double-date with Percy tonight and I've never even met the woman," Arthur grumbled, running a hand through his hair as he tosses the tie to the side. "How do you even put on bowties?"

Gwen laughed and stood up, brushing crumbs off of her pants and slowly making her way over to her blond friend standing beside the door. In two seconds flat she had taken the bowtie from his hand, clipped it onto his shirt, and without him even noticing, reached up and fixed two strands of hair that had not been cooperating earlier when she walked in on him raging while he was jelling it. She stood back to admire her handywork when Arthur whirled back around to see himself in the mirror. Poking her head over his shoulder, she thought she could see something in Arthur's eyes flicker in his reflection. He was probably unhappy with his clothes. They both knew he needed a new wardrobe. And maybe a haircut too. She rested her chin on his shoulders while on her tippy-toes and they stood there examining his outfit before he sighed and she pulled away reluctantly.

"Go get 'em, tiger," Gwen said, playfully smacking his bum as she turned around to go sit back down on the couch.

Arthur came back several seconds later, tugging his peacoat over his arms and ruffling his hair once more. He grabbed his keys then disappeared into his room, cheekily padding back into the living room with his wallet in one hand and his phone in the other. Gwen giggled and watched as he paced back and forth in front of the door. He was nervous. Poor thing. Arthur hated not knowing a woman and being forced to converse with her. With men he made playful banter and joked around, but with woman he had to make a good impression. He had to be a gentleman.

"Don't drink too much," Gwen called out as he hurried out the door, "and if you do, look both ways."


	26. 26

_26\. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to._

"You lost my keys?" Gwen demanded angrily.

"Yeah," Arthur admitted sheepishly, bringing a hand to his neck and awkwardly scratching the back.

"And you lost yours again yesterday."

"Yeah."

Gwen sighed and put her hands to her face. "What the hell are we supposed to do?"

Arthur shrugged. In his voice, Gwen could tell that he felt bad about losing them but hell, she didn't care. Could he not lose their keys for one week of his whole life? Just one week of being able to go in and out without waiting around for him; just one, that's all she asked. But no. She rubbed his eyes with balled-up fists and brought her arms to a fold across her chest. "I dunno, Gwen," he told her softly as to not anger her further. "Maybe we could go stay at Merlin's?"

Gwen bit her lip as an attempt to not freak out on him. "We can't go to Merlin's every time one of us – and by that I mean you-" she jabbed her finger at him "-forget your damn keys."

"I'm sorry, Gwen, I didn't mean to."

Gwen could tell that he actually felt bad about the whole situation and knew she was getting too angry, too angry for her own good, but she had had a bad enough day and didn't feel like going through this right now. She didn't want to deal with this. She just wanted to curl up in her bed and sleep because her feet hurt and her brain was throbbing against her forehead and she had been up since 5 am hunting for jobs and she couldn't because Arthur had lost the keys and in spite of all of this she felt like laughing. The one day she wants to sleep above anything else she can't because Arthur lost the keys. Was it karma? Or irony? Either way, the thought managed to make her burst into tears, something she hadn't even realized she was doing until Arthur's arms were wrapped around her in a hug and she was clutching the fabric of his coat with her fists and she was crying into his shoulder and it was all a big mess, to be honest.

"I'm sorry," Arthur apologized again. She didn't mean to make him feel worse. She just couldn't help it. Reluctantly she pulled away and sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"Don't be sorry, it's okay, Arthur."

"But I lost the keys, and –"

"Arthur, really," Gwen insisted. "We'll go to Merlin's tonight and ask for a spare copy of our key from management tomorrow until we find ours. Now can you hurry up and call the taxi because I am so tired and will drop dead any second."


	27. 27

_27\. Try some._

"Gwen, this looks disgusting."

"Arthur, don't be stubborn."

"Gwen. You know how I feel about this kinda stuff! I hate it."

Gwen let out an indignant puff of air and ran a hand through her chocolate locks. "Come on, you're going to love it."

"How do you know?" Arthur asked.

"Because I know you."

Arthur stared at her before leaning down to pick up the fork. He brought it up to his nose, took a tentative sniff, and then put the cutlery back down on the plate, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. "That smells disgusting."

"Arthur," Gwen said as she rolled her eyes, "try some."

Arthur waited a few seconds before sighing. "Fine, fine," he replied, waving his hands in the air as if it was some great feat that he was going to do this. "But I'm only doing this because you made it." However, as he said this, a hint of a smile grew on his face.

Gwen watched as Arthur knocked a bit more noodles off the fork so the mouthful wasn't so big and her eyes widened as he brought it to his mouth. There was a beat and she took in a breath before he turned his head to her and informed her he didn't feel comfortable eating this while she watched. Reluctantly she swiveled her head around, staring at the wall opposite, waiting to hear him gulp as a cue to turn back around. It took about ten seconds for her to notice the sound and when her eyes were finally on him again he was already scooping up more noodles.

"You were right," Arthur told her in midst of chewing.

"Of course I was."

* * *

this is an awful chapter but ive been so busy rip me xx


	28. 28

_28\. Drive safely._

Gwen yawned softly and burrowed herself deeper into the blanket.

"Where are ya off to?" she asked sleepily, watching as Arthur scrambled around the apartment throwing things into a duffel bag.

"Percy, Leon and Gwaine want to take a guys' roadtrip," he explained. "I'll be gone three days, at most. Gwaine'll do something to get in trouble or Percy will miss his girlfriend and we'll come back. I don't have the keys but I'll text you when we're coming home."

"Elyan's not going?" Gwen was surprised. Her brother loved doing stuff like this; hanging out with the boys, drinking, going to clubs. He was very shy but he still like to be active in the social scene.

"He said he didn't want to," Arthur said, shrugged, combed a hand through his hair and shoved his wallet into his back pocket. "You gonna be okay by yourself?"

"I'll get Morgana to come over," she replied. "Or Freya. Merlin loves her but you know how he is about sleeping…"

"Yeah," Arthur replied. "The idiot would kick out his gorgeous girlfriend just so he can have all of the pillows. What a…"

" _Anyway,_ " Gwen cut him off, "have fun. Don't get too drunk. Don't lose your wallet, we're both low on cash and need to pay rent. Don't lose your phone or your keys. Don't drunk dial me. Don't –"

"Gwen," Arthur chuckled.

"Yes?"

"I know."

"Okay."

He puttered around for a few more minutes before he was pulling open the front door.

"Oh, and Arthur?"

"Yes?"

"Drive safely."


	29. 29

holy crap 100 reviews and over 6000 reads im so honoured and im so happy you guys like it! thank you very much for all the support :)

* * *

 _29: Well, what do you want to do?_

Arthur was bored. Bored out of his mind. It was a Saturday and for the first time in months, not one of his friends felt like going out and doing anything. And he sure as hell was not going to go out by himself – that would be embarrassing and not to mention boring. He had absolutely no idea why Gwen didn't want to go out, either. She hadn't been out to a bar in weeks and they hadn't gone out at all that week. He wished she would give in if he begged her to go out with him but he knew she was stubborn and would definitely say no because she already got her PJs on. He sighed, pulled himself up from his bed and walked to his left, turning the corner and stopping in front of Gwen's open doorway, watching her fold laundry for a moment before he brought up a knuckle and knocked it against the wooden frame.

"What's up?" Gwen asked as she turned to look at him, reaching to grab her phone and mute her music.

"I'm bored, Gwen," Arthur said in a pout, dragging himself over to her bed and falling onto it.

"And?" Gwen continued with a smirk, lying down across from him.

"I'm booooored."

"Well, what do you want to do?"

Arthur shrugged and flipped over. "Let's watch Castle."

Gwen sighed. "I have to fold my laundry."

Arthur maneuvered his head so he was looking at her and said, "Pretty please?"

Gwen sighed again. "Fine. But you have to make the drinks."

"What kind of –"

"You know what drinks, Arthur," Gwen told him, pushing herself up.


	30. 30

_30\. One more chapter._

Gwen's head drifted slowly onto Arthur's shoulder, her eyes fluttering closed. She was so tired. They were so tired.

Her book club was having their second meeting ever tomorrow and Gwen, having put off reading her book for two weeks, was now rushing to finish it in the last twelve hours. At around 9, she retreated to her bedroom to read. Arthur, suspecting something was up, busted in a few minutes later to ask what was wrong and if nothing was wrong, why was she going to bed so early? Gwen explained her predicament and Arthur accepted her answer, but when he saw her yawn and cover her mouth he insisted that he finish reading the book to her. She needed to stay awake so she could finish it and not only did she have a habit of falling asleep while reading but he insisted he would rather do something with her than sit alone in the living room and watch hockey.

"And then…"

"Arthur," Gwen interrupted, sleepily reaching up and placing her hands on the book. "Lemme sleep."

"Gwen, we're almost done."

"Please Arthur, I'm so tired."

"Gwen." Arthur smiled and shook his head. "One more chapter."

Gwen huffed sleepily but pulled her hand away.

Arthur's voice was soft as he continued reading, occasionally tearing his eyes from the page to look at Gwen, who's eyes were closed half the time but who he made sure to shake whenever she was close to drifting off. It was the most at peace Arthur had been all week, to be honest. He had finally spent days out with the boys, rushing around, buying nachos and beer, and went to the mall at least three times to buy new shoes or pants or shampoo or deodorant. This was the first night he had gotten to be quiet and just sit down, not having anything to rush to or do and it was a really big stress reliever. And he got to spend it with one of his closest friends, who seemed to appreciate his company too.

When the last word was read Arthur looked down at Gwen, told her in a whisper he was done and almost immediately she slumped into unconsciousness against his shoulder. He stiffened up, not sure what to do, not knowing whether or not he should leave and not knowing if that would wake her up. And he didn't want to wake her up. Eventually he relaxed, threw the book across the room so it landed on a pile of laundry, leaned over to turn out her lamp and pressed his cheek against the top of her head, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her closer.

She ended up sleeping through book club the next day and decided it would be best to quit. But who cares? The night couldn't have been any better.


	31. 31

_31\. Don't worry about me._

"Gwen-"

"I'm fine, Arthur."

"Gwen, don't do this."

"Don't worry about me."

Arthur stopped patting the ice pack to her forehead and pulled away.

"You literally got hit in the head with a door, Gwen, I'm not going to not worry. Do you need to be taken to the hospital?"

"Arthur, I-"

"For God's sake, Gwen, let me take care of you, please," Arthur practically begged. "If anything happened to you I'd never be able to forgive myself."

There was a pause. Gwen didn't want to go to the hospital – she had a fear of needles and doctors and lights and she absolutely hated going for checkups – and she knew for a fact she didn't need it because she was certain she would feel fine in the morning. Watching Arthur, however, she couldn't just keep pushing him away. He would get upset if she didn't let him help her. He liked being in charge and helping people, especially his best friend. Gwen nodded.

"So what does taking care of me dictate?" she asked.

Arthur smiled. "Well, it means no going out and watching Castle all day and me making you soup and being a good best friend."

"You already are."

"Yes, but I like to see just how good I can be."

They grinned at each other and Arthur stood up, approaching the TV. "So, season 3…."


	32. 32

_32\. It looks good on you._

Gwen frowned, smoothing the silky fabric against her hips and tilting her head to the side as if it would offer a better angle.

"Going out?" Arthur said from the doorway and she was surprised she hadn't heard him sneak in.

"Yeah," Gwen replied, blowing away a curly lock of brown hair that fell into her face. "Freya and Merlin wanted me to meet their friend, Will. She said we're just going out as friends, but I have a feeling that she's trying to set us up. Hates seeing me lonely, she says." The woman fumbled with a necklace clasp and Arthur hurried over, taking it from her delicate, cold fingers and motioning for her to turn so he could put it on.

"I met Will," he recalled as the metal fell softly against her chest. "A couple times. Good guy. Quiet, strict, but a good guy. Your type." After clasping the chains together his hands hovered by her neck for a few moments, and then he abruptly pulled away. She didn't ask.

"I don't like strict," Gwen said, sticking out her bottom lip in a baby pout and puffing up her hair. "I'm a party animal."

"Oh, yes Gwen, you are so wild," Arthur told her and laughed heartily.

She stopped smiling and stared at her reflection in the mirror, patting down the fabric at her hips again. Arthur couldn't help but get annoyed at the fact she was questioning about beautiful she looked. God, she was beautiful all the time, but now, in this lighting, she looked so… stunning. Her hair, her eyes, her mouth, her body and aura in general. Arthur bit his lip and offered up a sweet smile.

"That's a nice dress," he said.

"It's not my colour, though, is it?"

"It looks good on you."

Silence fell between them but Arthur could see a blush rise on her cheeks.

After he had retreated into the living room, she padded in several moments later, slipping on her jacket and sliding along the carpet in too-tall heels that he would hate to see her trip in. After saying goodbye several times and remembering to grab her phone, wallet, and keys, the door finally closed behind her. And although he didn't quite know why, he didn't want her to go. He wanted her to stay and not go to dinner with Will.

Oh well. Too late to say anything now.


	33. 33

unfortunately this fic is going to have a couple boring chapters in a row before they get better. sorry to disappoint, folks, but i hope you'll stick with me anyway. and a happy new year! here's to hopefully finishing this fic by 2017 :)

* * *

 _33\. Close your eyes and hold out your hands._

"Do it!"

"Gwen…"

"Come on, Arthur," Gwen whined, "close your eyes and hold out your hands."

"Gwen, I don't-"

"Arthur Pendragon, I swear to _God_ -"

"Alright, alright." Reluctantly he pulled his hands out from behind his back and held them, palm-up, in the air in front of him. A second later a heavy weight fell upon his fingers. Plastic, he could feel, with ridges and soft edges and gaps in the sides and handles and… a laundry basket?

"I got you a new one!" Gwen said excitedly, beaming as he opened his eyes. "I know you hated your old one and this one perfectly matches the colour scheme of your bedroom. And if you're not using it or need to make space in your room, it's collapsible so you can store in the closet if you don't want it out." Her smile fell. "You do like it, right?"

"Of course, Gwen." He wasn't lying. While not what he expected, it was certainly a good gift. His old laundry basket had been breaking at the handles and, like she had said, this one did definitely match his bedroom. He ran his thumb over the plastic and smiled. "Yeah, of course I do."

"Good."

And then they both laughed because, despite the fact he had a laundry basket, he would rarely remember to even use it. That's what the floor was for, after all. At least in Arthur's world. However, the gesture was nice. The fact that she remembered and was on the lookout for a new one for him since probably the beginning of his complaining was very nice. He gave her a big hug before asking her what they should make for dinner.


	34. 34

_34\. That's okay, I bought two._

"Oh gosh, Gwen, that looks so good."

"Yeah, it sure is." Gwen licked the chocolate icing off of her fork, smiled at Arthur, and started slicing off another piece of cake with the tines.

"No, I mean, like. _Really_ good. Yenno?"

"Yes, Arthur, I would know. I'm the one eating it, in case you have forgotten?" Gwen leaned forward, snatched her glass of milk off of the coffee table and took a long chug before putting it down, gulping satisfactorily before cutting off another slice.

"Gwen, please."

"Please what, Arthur?"

Arthur sighed, put his head in his hands, then ran his fingers down the back of his neck as he looked up at her. "You know what, Gwen."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Arthur Pendragon, please be clearer in the future."

"The cake, Gwen!" Arthur said, pointing to it. "It looks amazing and you're not letting me have any!"

"It is my cake."

"Please for the love of God give me some cake!" Arthur said, his tone a mock of a snarl. It came out too angry though, and he immediately felt bad. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I don't need any…."

"That's okay, I bought two," Gwen told him. She shrugged as she ran the fork tines across of surface of her tongue but after a few seconds her face broke out into a massive grin.

"Guinevere, Guinevere, what am I to do with you?" Arthur said playfully, waiting for her to put her fork down before tackling her on the couch, pinning her down and tickling her sides. The tickle fight ended minutes later when they got too tired and Arthur's stomach rumbled. He barely had time to claim it was an emergency before he dashed off to the kitchen.

As she sat up, Gwen realized she would trade in a million cakes to have another tickle fight again. _Oh well_ , she thought sneakily, _maybe another time._


	35. 35

please ignore this totally-filler chapter and get yourself ready for a couple actually cute chapters coming up next !

 _35\. After you._

A steady stream of shoppers made their way quickly through the massive doors of Camelot Shopping Centre. People were pushed and ladies were shoved and men were groped and kids were yelled at and generally, it was an extremely stressful experience. Frozen rain splattered against hoods and umbrellas of the unfortunate costumers stuck in the awful weather waiting to get inside. However, the situation was most unfortunate for the two people who held the doors first and found it "too awkward to slip in front of the oncoming crowd" – Guinevere and Arthur.

Eventually she pulled out her phone and sent him a text. _God, I regret being the better person right now. I feel too awkward to slip in front, you know?_

 _Text from Arthur, 3:54 pm_

 _I kno omg, whatre we gonna do? Lol_

 _Text from Gwen_ _J_ _, 3:55 pm_

 _I see a break coming up shortly, just give it a minute or so._

Gwen was right, as always. There was a short break in the line just a little ways away. Arthur bit his lip and looked across at her – he could definitely tell she was anxious. The sooner the gap came, the better it'd be. He nodded at her when it did so and she frowned. "You first, Arthur," she said, motioning to the doorway.

"No, no," he insisted, waving his hands forward. "After you."


	36. 36

and here's where it starts gettin' good, folks

* * *

 _36\. We'll figure it out._

"I don't have enough rent for next month and you don't either."

This was rather abrupt, thought Arthur as he looked across the kitchen at Gwen, who had pushed herself up onto the counter and was now swinging her legs back and forth. There were tears in her eyes and Arthur was beginning to feel rather confused. She had gotten a new job a couple weeks ago – it was good, nice work environment and quite a fair bit of money and friendly people to work with. So why didn't she have enough money for rent? He approached her slowly and hopped up onto the space beside her, nearly knocking down a jar of herbs.

"But your job –"

"I haven't clocked enough hours to get the money we need," she said, swiping the first tear away as quickly as it came. "I'd need to work morning to night, crazy hours, and I still have to start thinking about school 'cuz I've skipped enough years and my youth is slipping away and I just –"

Arthur pulled Gwen into a hug, pressing his lips against her head and wrapping his arms around her torso. In one swift movement she was practically on his lap and she was crying into his shoulder and he was hugging her and cooing to her that everything would be okay, that it would all be okay, and he kissed her head softly and stroked her hair and closed his eyes because he hated seeing her cry. It broke his heart. He always felt like he could've stopped the tears from falling, even if he hadn't seen them coming prior and even didn't know what was making her cry. He rocked her back and forth steadily.

"I have some money saved up," he realized slowly. "I was saving it because I didn't know when you would get a job and didn't know when you would be able to start paying again. I don't know if it's what we need…"

"I'm sorry, Arthur," she whispered shakily. "It's my fault."

"No, it's not." Arthur kissed her forehead again. "We picked a nice place. It's both of our faults." They laughed quietly, more of a hushed chuckle, but it was still a laugh. "But seriously, Gwen, it's not your fault. You didn't choose to lose your job. You didn't know this would happen and couldn't save in advance. I'll do some more jobs for people, get some more money while you work as many hours as you can handle, okay?"

"And if it doesn't work?" she asked quietly.

"We'll figure it out."


	37. 37

this is it folks. what you all have been waiting for

* * *

 _37\. Can I kiss you?_

Merlin had invited Arthur and Gwen to his office's annual Christmas party as his guests. Gwen had accepted the invitation immediately, but Arthur was hesitant. Eventually, Gwen convinced him to come, saying she would even pretend to be his date and would sensually excuse them if she felt the conversation was getting too weird or awkward and he didn't want to say anything. Not like he expected that to happen, although he did want to see what tricks she had planned. Which he had told her on the bus there. Which resulted in some punches to his forearm.

They had made their way around slowly, meeting Merlin's colleagues and friends who were, surprisingly, rather riveting conversationalists. Now they were taking a break, standing by the punch bowl, scooping small amounts into their cups and downing it in one and needing more. This was Gwen's third cup, Arthur noticed, as he had been watching her out of the corner of his eye. And when he saw her eyes widen, he followed her gaze and found out exactly what had spooked her. They had both just seen her ex-boyfriend, Lancelot, standing a couple meters away, talking to someone. It seemed neither of them knew he worked here. She tugged gently on Arthur's sleeve, putting her cup down on the table and whispering to him out of the corner of her mouth, directing her body's direction towards him. "Arthur, I need your help."

"Yeah, 'course," he murmured quietly. Whatever Gwen wanted him to do. Arthur wanted to avoid Lancelot as much as she did. He had broken Gwen's heart, leaving Arthur to put the pieces back together, and was not going to treat him well if he did end up coming by.

"Can I kiss you?" she asked quietly, nervously looking up at him. And suddenly Gwen's hands were pulling his face towards hers and their lips were colliding and instinctively he put his cup down and wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up gently. Her lips were soft and she smelled good – like lavender or mint or something – and he could feel how hot her cheeks were when they brushed against his. She was a good kisser, boy. Knew exactly where to put her nose and her lips and what to do with her hands now they were moving away from his face. She started running them down the front of his suit jacket and pulled away slowly, looking around, knowing people would just think they were both horribly horny and barely gave him enough time to breathe before she grabbed his hand and dragged him away from the punch table and into the hallway and she didn't stop until she reached the stairwell. "You're quite the actress, Gwen," Arthur said, chuckling and smirking and raising an eyebrow.

"I am so sorry," she told him. "I can't be around him. Had to make him jealous, you know?" She was pacing. She was nervous. Lancelot did that to her, always had. "Can we go home now? Can you get the jackets? I don't want to run into him if he's looking for me."

"Of course." Arthur grinned at her before racing off down the hallway, taking a left into the room where everyone had put their coats at the beginning of the party. As he picked them up and checked them out, though, he couldn't help but think about kissing her. How amazing it was. How magical it was. And all he wanted to do now was kiss her and it was such an animal instinct and it confused him because she was just his best friend. But it had felt so right. Arthur pushed those thoughts away as best as he could and made his way back to the stairwell, ready to go home and sleep his troubling feelings away.


	38. 38

_38\. I like your laugh._

Gwen and Arthur had finally got enough money to pay for the past two months of rent. They had worked as hard as they could and as much as they could, which resulted in Morgana giving Arthur more money for helping so much and Gwen getting a promotion at her job, which boosted her pay per hour by a dollar. In celebration of their stress-free, normally-scheduled life that would begin again now, they bought differently flavored alcohol at the store and candy and chips and pizza and settled down for a nice, relaxing night at home where they would laze around and not stress about anything.

"Okay, but but but, why did you even like Lance? Does he have like, a good ass, or something?" Arthur drunkenly asked Gwen, taking a sip of vodka straight from the bottle, having found glasses to inconvenient to fill up so often.

"I don't even know," she replied earnestly. "He was, you know, cool. Dark. Tall. Mysterious."

"Ooh, what mysteries did Lancelot have hidden?" Arthur insinuated before spluttering out a laugh, making Gwen erupt into giggles as well.

"He was just that type," she told him, waving her hands and making obscene gestures as if it would make a difference. "You know. He did poetry and played guitar and lived in a loft and had canvasses and he was a…. a brooding poet. Dark. Mysterious. It was ridiculously hot."

Arthur laughed. "Okay but _I_ can write poetry _too_ , Gwen," he said, then stood up, placing a hand over his heart and announcing: "Guinevere, Guinevere, hair as soft as silk and the white part of your eye is pale like two-percent milk. You're always a pain to walk with, you trot along way too slow, and the fact that you walk slow is what you don't really know. Guinevere oh Guinevere, your voice melts me into butter, and on the ground by the shower you always leave a puddle."

And there it was. One of Gwen's infamous laughs. Where she threw her head back and covered her mouth and then moved them to her cheeks and her eyes and she moved her head forward and buried her face in her hands and she was laughing so hard Arthur expected her to start coughing up a lung pretty soon. But he didn't mind. She had a wonderful laugh. It was deep and sweet, like dark chocolate, and it was so beautiful he realized, now, that he could probably write real poetry about it. He wanted to make a smart, rhyming comment about it but instead he stuttered, shyly and quietly, "I like your laugh."

Soon her giggles died away and the first thing she said was, "Don't sweet talk your way out of bad poetry. You're a poetic _joke_ , Arthur."

"And that comment rewards you with a poke," he rhymed, leaning forward and jabbing his index fingers against her skin.

Early the next morning, before she blacked out, all Gwen could remember was him saying he liked her laugh.


	39. 39

i have an injured wrist and this is the last chapter i wrote before i wounded it so there will not be any new chapters for a while. apologies in advance!

* * *

 _39\. Don't cry._

"So I guess Merlin told him where I worked without realizing what it meant, 'cuz he just kinda showed up and asked to talk and said how good it was to see me, and then he waited f-for my shift to end which was, like, a twenty minute wait a-a-and then we talked for, like, two hours and he told me he was getting married – God, married at 23, a year and a half after we broke up! He b-barely even waited. And he asked if we were together and, oh, this is the worst part, he invited me to the wedding! And I left as fast as I could a-and burst into tears on the bus and…" Gwen buried her face in her hands and sniffled.

Arthur wrapped an arm around her, massaging his fingers against her shoulder and leaning his cheek on her forehead. "I'm sorry, Gwen, that sucks. I'll talk to Merlin – didn't even realize, the daft idiot, I swear sometimes he just…" He sighed. "It's not his fault."

"I just thought I was over him, you know?" she whispered into her hands. "But seeing him… I dunno. I don't know how to feel. Am I over him? I can't even tell. Seeing him was just so… weird and made me panic and I got scared 'cuz I don't even know how I feel anymore and… I don't know, Arthur, I just don't know!" Gwen wailed and swiped her eyes on her sleeves and looked at him, biting her lip in guilt. "I'm sorry, you don't need this right now, I'm okay, it's okay, I'm okay, and I'm fine."

"No, Gwen, please don't do that," he soothed, grabbing her hands in his. "I care. I'm here, okay?"

Gwen pulled her hands back to wipe some more still-falling tears away and sniffled. "It's just… you never really get over a first love, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Arthur responded, which was a lie.

"I miss him so much, Arthur, sometimes," she whispered quietly, looking at her hands lying in her lap. "The way he made me feel. He made me feel beautiful, you know? Sexy. He made me feel a million things all at once."

"Hey, look at me," Arthur told her. He made a move to grab her hands again. "You don't need anyone. Okay? You are beautiful and sexy and you are all good things in the world. You don't need a scumbag like him to have to know that. He is not worth crying over. You are worth so much, Gwen. Please." Tentatively one of his thumbs reached up to take away some of the drops falling from her eyes. "Please. Forget about him. You are better than him and you do not need him, okay?"

"Okay."

He kissed her cheek softly and held her in his arms, her own now wrapped around his chest. "You don't need him. It's okay. Don't cry." He begun to sway her back and forth, back and forth in his arms until they both, somehow, fell asleep.


	40. 40

_40\. I made this for you._

"Arthur."

His head lifted off of the pillow and he rubbed weakly at his weary eyes with the heel of his hand.

"Yes Gwen?" he mumbled tiredly.

"I made this for you," she whispered, trotting into the room with gentle feet.

"What is it?" Arthur asked, pushing himself up on one arm.

She sat down in front of his bed and held up a piece of paper. Written, in rainbow crayon, were the words 'I'm sorry'. He frowned and rubbed his eye again, taking the paper in his hands. "Why are you sorry?" he questioned.

"For dragging you into this Lancelot mess and making you worry," Gwen answered, looking down at her sleeves and plucking at a loose thread.

Arthur shook his head. "You don't need to be sorry," he told her.

"I just feel bad piling all of my problems on you and –"

He awkwardly placed a finger on her lips, which made her giggle, and said softly, "I care about you, Gwen. I just want to see you happy and I'll do anything to try and do that." He would probably never be this honest and open during the day, but it was late. She probably wouldn't remember much of the conversation anyway.

"Thank you, Arthur," she murmured. Slowly she stood up and padded out of the door, stopping once and turning back before disappearing.

A part of him wanted to call her back in, but instead he pushed that feeling away and flipped over, shutting his eyes and falling into a blissful sleep once more.


	41. 41

here i am folks

 _41\. Go back to sleep._

They slept together most nights. Not in a sexual way, or even in a romantic way – neither of them felt the need to establish that was clearly platonic, however, so if someone saw it would stir up conversation. And then they would have to explain that it didn't mean anything. But they did end up sleeping together most nights. Not that they hadn't a lot before, except when they started living together it was just both of them falling asleep on the couch drinking or talking or watching TV. Now they fell asleep in each other's bedrooms or even in each other's beds. They stayed up late talking, when Gwen cried or when Arthur was stressing about his new job working as a mechanic, and they just-so-happened to fall asleep under each other's sheets. When Gwen was sad, Arthur wrapped her in his arms and she drifted off against his chest. When Arthur was upset, he slumped to sleep against her shoulder, as most of the time they were sitting with their backs against the wall and feet dangling off the edge of the bed. So it was rare for them to even question why they woke up together.

But Arthur missed his bed. Gwen snored, sometimes, and when she was asleep she didn't need him, right? He shifted away from her (though she was mainly curled up against his leg now, as opposed to being curled up on him) and ran a hand through his hair. This wouldn't be their routine forever, would it? They had separate bedrooms for a reason. Might as well slap a ring on each of their fingers and just get a queen. He sighed and got up slowly, carefully, making she he didn't wake her up.

To be honest, he just wanted all the blankets to himself.

As he was padding out of the room, he heard a small croak from the corner her bed was in and turned around. She was peering at him in the dull shine of her nightlight and he saw her mouth open into a wide yawn, her eyes weary and blinking. Before she could get a word out, he said, "You can have the whole bed. Go back to sleep, Gwen."

"Okay, Arthur," she said sleepily, letting her head fall back onto the soft fabric. "Goodnight."


	42. 42

please forgive me for the lack of posting and this bad chapter omf i am so sorry and will start writing often again as soon as life becomes less stressful :) xox

* * *

 _42\. Is this okay?_

Arthur had a date.

A real date. A real date with a real girl who was completely normal, who had a job working for her father in a law firm. She had an apartment to herself and was going to college and she was sophisticated and wore suit jackets and put her hair up in buns and wore high heels and had a stainless steel coffee maker and she was just… elegant. That was the best word to describe her.

And boy did he ever want to impress her. Gwen took him suit shopping (he had recently gotten a job close to where Gwen worked, and he had been saving up for a special occasion) and they picked out a nice gray one to replace the old navy grid one he had been harboring for about five years ever since his grade twelve graduation. They also bought him new shoes and expensive cologne (although it seemed way too overpriced). And finally, it was the night of his date and he could not be more excited. This whole Gwen thing, with Lance and the kiss and the sleeping together had him so frazzled he barely knew which direction was up and which one was down anymore. But he knew he didn't have feelings for Gwen, other than platonic, so this would just solidify his feelings and help him feel more at ease. Plus, he hadn't gone out to a nice dinner in what felt like months.

Except he started stressing out the second there was a half an hour countdown until she picked him up because she had her own car, too.

"Is this okay?" he asked nervously.

"Arthur, we've been over this."

"I know, but _is_ this okay?" He ran a hand through his hair. "Is it?"

"Yes Arthur, it's more than okay," Gwen reassured him, standing up from her corner on the couch and padding over. She adjusted his lapel. "It's great."

"Okay," he said softly. "Okay."


	43. 43

i dont even have anymore good excuses for not writing ugh ive just not been feeling it or anything lately so please forgive me for lack of good updates but hopefully we can bounce back again soon. love you all and thanks for sticking with me :) xoxo

* * *

 _43\. I picked these for you._

"I picked these for you," Arthur said, pushing a bouquet of flowers towards Gwen when the door swung open.

"Flowers…" Gwen eyed the tulips suspiciously.

"Yeah," he responded. "I saw them and I know you've been complaining about a lack of greenery in the house." Arthur laughed nervously, digging the toes of his shoes into the carpet. "You don't like them?"

Gwen giggled, taking a petal in between her thumb and her forefinger. "No, of course not, I love them," she said gently. "It just so happens that today is our two-year anniversary of being roommates. Do you remember when we first moved in together?" She moved out of the way as Arthur came inside, pulling off his coat and hanging it up on the hooks beside the door. "We were close, but not as close as we are now, and I was always too scared my music would be too loud because you sleep with the door open."

"And I was always scared I would accidentally leave underwear laying around the bathroom," Arthur chuckled. "Yes, I remember."

"And it just so happens that I got something for you too." Gwen put the flowers on the table and ran into the kitchen before Arthur could say anything. He sat down and started pulling off his shoes by the time Gwen came back out. "I picked _these_ for _you_." In her hands were a pair of sunglasses with the word 'cool' ironically spread over the lenses. Arthur laughed and put them on, fluffed up his hair, and made his best pouty face.

"How do I look, baaaaaaaybe?" he slurred in his best cool guy voice and Gwen burst out laughing.

"Ridiculous," she replied. "Utterly ridiculous."


	44. 44

_44\. I'll drive you to the hospital._

"I'm fine, Arthur," Gwen murmured through gritted teeth, trying desperately to bandage the cut on the palm of her hand. "It's just a scratch from work, 'cuz I cut my hand on a dish when I was washing them in the sink, and it's fine, I used bandages and cream and stuff and it'll be fine in the morning, I promise."

"Gwen, no, let me help," Arthur insisted, pushing his way into the bathroom. "Please. It looks awful and you can't bandage your goddamn hand on your own." He sighed, but when he saw the wound on her hand he threw up a little bit in his mouth. He was the type of person who hated seeing copious amounts of blood. A tiny amount was fine, like paper cuts or bleeding gums (because his and Gwen's were both very sensitive) but if there was enough to soak through a bandage or a towel, then he started feeling queasy.

"Arthur, we both know how you are with blood," Gwen told him. "I don't want to have blood _and_ vomit on me."

"I'm not going to sit here and let you bleed out all over the tiles because I just cleaned those, and you know how rarely I clean things," Arthur persisted.

"Yeah, because you make me do it most of the time," Gwen giggled, despite frustrated tears clinging to her cheeks. "You have to go to work soon."

"I'll drive you to the hospital," he told her. "At least let me do that."

"Arthur, we don't have a fucking car," Gwen reminded him.

"Oh right," he said. "Well, get up, then – the bus comes in ten minutes and the stop is far away."

"Arthur, you have work –"

"If you don't get on that bus in ten minutes I will go to work, steal a car, and then I'll drive you to the hospital. Gwen, come on, you need stitches or something."

She sighed. "Help me up, will ya?"


	45. 45

_45\. What do you want to watch?_

Rain splattered against the window, the evening breeze pushing against the glass panels that quivered in the air. Gwen curled up on the couch, wrapped in a blanket that Merlin got Arthur for Christmas but she insisted on using every time their apartment got too cold, and waited for him to come out of the bathroom with a towel thrown over his shoulder and a t-shirt hanging loosely on his body.

"What do you want to watch?" Gwen asked.

"What?" Arthur questioned, raising an eyebrow at her while he passed on his way to the kitchen.

"What do you want to watch?" Gwen repeated.

"I was going to the bar with the guys," Arthur told her as he leaned against the doorway, munching on a granola bar.

Gwen puffed her lips out into a pout. "But it's cooooold out and you'll have to walk home in the rain," she reasoned. "And where's my invite?"

Arthur chuckled. "You have a point," he said, walking over to her and sitting down on the arm of the couch. "How could I ever go anywhere without my wingwoman?"

Gwen nodded. "Exactly," she responded. "Besides, all you've been doing lately is going to work, then going out on dates or going to Gwaine's to watch football. It gets lonely here, especially when Morgana's busy with Val and Merlin and Freya are going on nature hikes or whatever. We haven't had any Gwen-and-Arthur couch time in ages."

"By ages do you mean about two weeks?" Arthur asked incredulously, laughing.

"It's about three now," Gwen informed him.

"Oh, my apologies," Arthur said.

"Come on, Arthur."

He sighed. "Okay, but just because you begged."

"I did not beg!" she protested.

"Yes you did," he told her. "So what do you want to watch?"


	46. 46

its me maia and im back with another installment of your two favourite dorks who just need to date already jfc

check my profile for updates on stories and my life in general! hoping we can finish this by the end of the year :)

* * *

 _46\. You can go first._

"Why on earth did they think a singular unisex bathroom would be a good idea for the busiest restaurant in town?" Arthur growled angrily.

He and Gwen had been waiting in line for about ten minutes to use the one-toilet, one-stall bathroom in this vegan restaurant Morgana and Merlin had both raved about and, eventually, had dragged Gwen and Arthur into a triple date with them and their significant others. It had been fun so far, although Morgana and Val being so flirty and touchy did make Arthur feel a little odd, but now that their bladders were both on the verge of explosion from the four fruity drinks they had each, Gwen and Arthur were not having a fun time.

"Look, two more people and we can go in," Gwen said to him softly.

"Those goddamn fruit cocktails will be the death of me, Gwen," he told her. "I'm probably gonna have ten more when we get back."

"It doesn't help that they have free refills," Gwen laughed. "I can never resist a free drink."

"It's like they knew our weakness." Arthur wiggled his eyebrows at Gwen and she giggled, slapping his shoulder with her hand.

Once the line was dwindled down and Arthur and Gwen were at the front, they turned their heads to each other and said "You can go first" at almost the exact same time. However, after a quick game of rock-paper-scissors, Arthur pushed the door shut and Gwen stood in the hallway, partially regretting her decision.


	47. 47

_47\. Did you get my letter_?

Arthur pushed open the door to the roof and padded out, socks hitting the slightly damp concrete as he moved forward.

"Did you get my letter?" Gwen said, turning around.

Laid in front of her was a picnic blanket and, on top of it, was a picnic basket, two champagne glasses and, of course, a bottle of champagne. She had been telling him for days now that they needed something other than fast food and crappy bar nachos, but he told her he was too lazy to cook – and she told him not to conform to societies standards and he said that was sexist and they had banter back and forth for about five minutes until she finally gave in and put up with another night of soggy chips and too much cheese sauce. But he supposed she had gotten too tired of it that she decided to take action.

"Gwen, its eleven at night."

"Well, to be fair, this is the best time to eat dinner," Gwen replied. "All the stars and Jesus and God watching us from heaven. We have to say grace now, Arthur, God is watching."

"I'm tired, Gwen."

"And if I eat one more goddamn cheese-drenched taco chip I am moving into the dumpster in the back alley and you cannot stop me," Gwen told him. "Please, this was actually more effort to put together than you would think."

Arthur laughed and sat down crossed-legged beside her on the blanket.

The next hour and a half was spent throwing grapes into each other's mouths, drinking too many glasses of champagne for their own good, stuffing themselves with decent cheese and sandwiches and bite-sized brownies, and whispering things to each other towards the end as they lied down on their backs and looked at the stars. Gwen pointed out constellations and Arthur made ones up, although sometimes she couldn't even tell.

At one in the morning, Arthur packed up the picnic basket and blanket, put it in the doorway to the staircase, and scooped Gwen up in his arms. He would come back and get the things later. Or maybe not. The second he put her in her bed, he sleepily collapsed onto the couch on his way back up, and didn't wake up until well past noon the next day.


	48. 48

_48\. I'll do it for you._

"Arthur, I can't get up but I need to wash my uniform for tomorrow."

Gwen had been in bed with a cold for three days now and she felt bad for not going into work, so she had signed herself up for an 8 hour shift the next day – despite the fact she wasn't getting any better and, in fact, was probably getting worse. Arthur convinced her to at least stay in bed for today to rest herself up and hopefully gain some energy, but she was stressing out about all the things she had to do and, to be honest, it was getting on Arthur's nerves.

"Gwen, you wore it once between your last shift and now, I really don't think you have to wash it," Arthur told her, reading the bottle on her antibiotics to see how many she needed to take in what span of time.

"But if there's a stain on it that I forgot about, I will look unprofessional and Heather will get very mad at me."

"Who cares what Heather thinks?"

"Her employees?"

Arthur grunted. "Good point."

"Arthur, just let me get up to put my laundry in and –"

"I'll do it for you."

Gwen smiled. "Okay, could you do a load of my undies then, too? Thanks, you're a dear."

He couldn't tell if she was joking or not so he did it anyway.


	49. 49

_49\. Call me when you get home._

"You're really okay to walk? I can take you home and then double back to Merlin's later."

"I'm fine, Arthur."

"Are you sure, Gwen?"

"I'm sure, Arthur."

"Because really, it's no trouble whatsoever to get you back to the apartment and go to Merlin's after, it's only an hour or so walk-"

"Arthur, I'm fine."

"Okay."

Arthur gave Gwen a hug and wrapped his arms around her very tightly. He worried for her, being out alone at night, because guys were scary and sometimes she cracked under pressure and she wasn't the fastest runner, but she also was very determined to be more independent lately, so he knew she wouldn't budge on her current stance on the subject.

"Be careful."

Gwen kissed his cheek and squeezed his arm. "Of course, Arthur," she told him.

"You're sure you don't want to come?" he asked. "Freya would love to see you."

"It's late and I have a shift tomorrow, Arthur."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Call me when you get home, okay?"

"Okay, Arthur," Gwen replied softly before turning out the door.


	50. 50

halfway!

* * *

 _50\. I think you're beautiful._

"Have I gained weight?"

Gwen stared at her stomach in the mirror and Arthur slowly walked into the bathroom, looking at their reflections and knitting his eyebrows together in frustration.

"No, Gwen, why?" he asked, sitting down on the toilet seat and watching as she patted her stomach.

"I just… feel bloated."

"It's probably all the bar food and McDonald's, Gwen, it's not you." He scratched the back of his neck. He didn't want to say anything to offend her – did that make it sound like he agreed she was gaining weight? She actually wasn't. Or maybe she was, but subtly, so that he didn't even notice. "Not that you… have gained weight, anyway."

"Val said I was looking curvier than I used to at the bar the other night."

Arthur laughed awkwardly. "You know Val says the weirdest shit when he's drunk, Gwen. And besides, what does he know? He couldn't tell curvy from not if he even tried, his eyesight is absolutely horrid."

"Are you sure?" Gwen said, frowning and poking her stomach.

"You look the same as you always do."

"Oh."

Arthur inhaled. Did he say something wrong?

"I think you're beautiful, Gwen."

Gwen smiled at him tenderly and let her tank fall back onto her stomach. "Thank you, Arthur." She grabbed her toothbrush and put some toothpaste on the bristles. "Now, it's time for his royal highness to brush his teeth…"


	51. 51

_51\. Are you sure?_

"I can make dinner perfectly fine without your help," Gwen huffed.

"Gwen, have you ever made lasagna?" Arthur asked.

"No," Gwen said. "But I can do it by myself."

Arthur sighed. "Why are you mad at me?"

She shook her head. "I'm not," she told him. "I'm just… determined to learn how to cook more than two family recipes and soup. But by myself, so when I'm an old lady I don't need to call you and ask how much cheese I put in."

"For the record, its-"

" _Arthur_!"

"Gwen, are you sure?"

"Yes, Arthur!"

He sighed again. "Okay, if you insist," he responded, raising his hands in defeat.

Later on that evening, both of the adults had a glass of wine, garlic bread, and a plate of lasagna in front of them. Arthur was hesitant to eat it, and thus, in turn, Gwen was as well. She seemed proud of it when it came out of the oven, but it didn't look… right. Arthur was extremely suspicious but he also didn't want to hurt Gwen's feelings, so they picked up a forkful of lasagna at the same time, counted down from three, and put it in their mouths.

"Oh my god," Arthur said.

"This is-"

"Amazing!" Arthur finished.

"I didn't think it would taste good at all," Gwen said.

"Well, it does, Gwen, great job."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course." Arthur gave her a smile, then hastily forked up more.


	52. 52

_52\. Have fun._

Gwen was going on another date.

"Black or blue?" she asked, holding up two different shirts.

"No dress today?" Arthur asked, laying on her bed.

Gwen shook her head, curls bouncing around. "All of them are smelly," she told him, flopping down onto the bedspread. "Morgana keeps dragging me out to charity events or auctions or double dates. It's annoying.

Eventually she picked the blue shirt and matched it with a pair of gray jeans and black high heels. Arthur sat on the toilet, watching her as she did her makeup, sending funny pictures to Gwaine and Merlin of her with her mouth hanging open. Despite the fact they were hilarious, however, he still found her beautiful. Very, very beautiful. He let her apply a bit of mascara on him before her date was outside and she had one foot out the front door.

"How do I take this shit off?" Arthur questioned, rubbing at his eyes and smudging the makeup around. Gwen laughed and tugged her jacket over her shoulders.

"Not like that," she giggled. "I'll see you later, okay? Maybe then I'll take it off."

"Fine," Arthur grumbled, feigning mock offense. Gwen rolled her eyes but walked over and kissed his cheek.

"There's makeup wipes in the cupboard behind the sink, dumbass," she said playfully. "Now, I really have to go. We have peanut butter and jam in the kitchen."

He followed her to the door and leaned against the frame. "Ha ha," he said. "Have fun."

She smiled. "Thanks."

He watched her go until she disappeared around the bend in the hallway.

He hoped she didn't have fun. At least not as much fun as she had with him.

i missed my kids. ive been writing a helluva lot of hamilton fanfic. i thought, "might as well do 500 words a day with arthur and gwen?" but i make no promises.


	53. 53

_53\. Sit down, I'll get it._

Arthur and Gwen hadn't had a sit-down dinner in a long time. A very, very, _very_ long time, to be exact. And with Gwen's newfound cooking skills, why not blow their paychecks on a fancy ass meal she could concoct? And fancy, it was – or, at least, Gwen made it fancy, with shreds of leaves all over the plate the turkey was on to "embellish the elegance". Arthur had just touched the tip of his knife to the skin of the meat when there was a knock at the door.

Gwen groaned.

"Sit down, I'll get it," Arthur announced, putting the knife gently down on her plate.

It was Gwaine. He had gotten mugged on the way home from work. Gwen took him into the bathroom and, after several minutes of coaxing, managed to get his permission to press hydrogen peroxide-soaked cotton balls on his cuts. She had left them in the other room, however.

"Sit down, I'll get them." Arthur said.

Gwaine slept in her bed that night. Gwen slept in Arthur's. Arthur slept on the couch. She padded into the living room, at 1 am, eyes thick with sleep and her mouth suspended in a yawn. Arthur sat upright.

"What do you need?" he asked.

"Water," Gwen responded. Her voice sounded very dry and raspy.

"Sit down, I'll get it." Arthur got up, went to the kitchen, and when he came back she was wrapped up in his blankets. He laughed and tucked himself in next to her.


	54. 54

_54\. I made reservations._

"We're going out."

Gwen looked up from her phone and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Arthur bent down and grabbed a pillow from her floor, tossing it in her direction. "I said we're going out."

"But you didn't specify where."

With a sigh, he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorway.

"To dinner," he replied. "In, like, thirty minutes?"

"Arthur," Gwen began with a bemused expression, but he shook his head and flapped a hand at her to cut her off.

"I made reservations," he told her. "And it's my treat, anyway."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "You shouldn't have to cook every night. Even if you are proud of your new skills."

Gwen giggled and sat up, running a hand through his hair. "For the record, I wasn't going to cook tonight, anyway."

"For the record, if you were, I would've made reservations anyway."

Silence. The two stared at each other, pretending to have some sort of showdown, and then –

"Dress or pants?"

Arthur didn't even have to think twice. In fact, he probably said it too enthusiastically. "Dress."

An hour later, as he was following her into the hallway, he was happy he had made the right decision.

im back for good, guys. i promise we'll get this done by the end of 2017.


	55. 55

i went a little crazy last night and wrote up to 78. oops? hope youre all excited though!

* * *

 _55\. I don't mind._

"I said it's fine," Gwen told Arthur from behind the bathroom door, just wanting him to leave her alone so she could do what she needed to do in peace.

He didn't care what she was doing, though. He needed to apologize.

"I shouldn't have said it," he told her, his head in his hands.

"It's fine, Arthur, okay?" Gwen said haughtily. "You… you said it, and it's not like you can take it back or anything, so, just… forget about it."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't care."

"I'm really, really sorry Gwen."

"Arthur Pendragon," she began in her usual angry voice, "can this wait until after I'm done shaving?"

He shook his head, knowing very well she couldn't see it, and said, "You can be mad at me."

The door swung open, and in the doorway stood Guinevere de Marshe in all of her Saturday night shaving beauty – pink fuzzy robe, green face mask, and half-shaved leg.

"I'm not," she told him. But she was a terrible liar.

"I deserve it," he murmured.

"You were drunk," she said. "You were… it's fine, Arthur."

"You can punch me."

"I'm not going to punch you, Arthur."

"I don't mind," he told her. "I deserve it."

"It's not… not even that big of a deal, okay?" she groaned. "It was… a fact, I mean, if anything. He probably should've guessed that's how I felt."

"But I shouldn't have told him."

There was a pause. Gwen was biting her lip, eyebrows furrowed – she was angry, and unsure of whether or not she should be honest about it. But the thing was… Arthur wanted her to be honest about it so badly. He wanted her to get mad at him. He had deserved it. He didn't mean to tell Lance how much she missed him, and that she probably still loved him – in fact, he had forgotten Lance was there, and was just trying to talk about how upsetting it was with his friends to see _her_ upset. But he had let it slip. And Lance had showed up at her work. Again. And tried to talk to her. Again. And she cried all night. Again.

All thanks to his big, drunk mouth.

Then, taking a step back into the bright bathroom, she said, "Yes. You shouldn't have."

And she shut the door so tightly Arthur couldn't even see the light anymore.


	56. 56

_56\. It brings out your eyes._

Gwen was still mad at Arthur. Not that he was complaining, of course. He deserved it.

But to make matters worse, she was going on a date. With Will. The boring and strict man he could've sworn she said that she would rather drop dead than go on another date with just a few months ago.

Arthur wasn't sure, but a part of him wondered if she had just picked Will to piss him off.

"That's a nice colour," he told her from the doorway as he watched her try to zip up the back of her own dress.

"Thanks," she told him. He could tell she was holding back from making a joke or shooting him a dumb face, and he just… wished that she would. Even if she stayed mad at him, seeing her give him cross-eyes would be better than not being able to look in her eyes at all.

"It brings out your eyes."

She stayed still for a moment, looking at his reflection in her mirror, and then she offered up a small, albeit somewhat forced, smile.

"Thanks, Arthur."

Minutes later, she was brushing past him into the living room, throwing a thin parka over her shoulders. He didn't follow her. He just stared at his reflection in her mirror from his spot at the doorway. He didn't know what to do with himself, really, now that she was so mad at him. Going out with the boys was boring, especially because Lance always found himself getting invited. Staying at home and watching re-runs of Castle was boring (he could move on to the next season, although he was hoping she would come home one day and tell him to set it up without even saying anything else). Arthur didn't want to hang out with anyone but Gwen, and, everyone but Gwen wanted to hang out with him.

"Have fun," he called out to her when he heard the door open. He thought he heard her grunt something back before the door slammed closed.

By midnight, she still hadn't returned home. And he decided to give in and go to bed.

Except, when he saw the necklace she had gifted him so long ago, curled up on his bedside table with nothing but the sword charm hanging off the edge, he… started to tear up.

She was so good to him. She had always been so good to him, even though he was so stupid, sometimes.

He was stupid enough to tell Lance that she missed him. He was stupid enough to not try his hardest to apologize every single day and instead let her ignore him. He was stupid enough to try and ignore the fact that she was beginning to become something more than just his best friend, now.

He was asleep when she came home, though fitfully.

She stared at him from his doorway and then reached in, grabbed the doorknob, and pulled it shut.


	57. 57

_57\. There is enough room for both of us._

"Gwen!"

Sometimes Arthur was convinced that Merlin's ears moved when he was happy. He could've sworn they jumped, too, when his black-haired friend saw Gwen across the restaurant.

Arthur had known she was coming to join them for lunch. In fact, they were having lunch specifically just so she could join them. After confessing to Merlin everything that was happening (omitting the fact he thought he was beginning to grow a crush on Gwen), Merlin decided that he would try and use his "magical powers" to make them friends again.

Gwen smiled at Merlin, glanced at Arthur, and approached the table, unwrapping her purse from her hair and dropping it onto the ground. "It's cold out, isn't it?" she asked Merlin.

"It is, indeed," Merlin replied, beaming at her. "I'm afraid my drink choice doesn't make it any better, either. A cold water."

Gwen giggled and slid Merlin her purse across the leather surface of the booth.

"Arthur's drink is warm, though. Maybe that would help a bit."

"I'll get a coffee on my own."

Arthur wanted to leave. Actually, no – he wanted to scream at himself in a mirror for thinking this would be a good idea and then he wanted to leave. But that would probably make things more awkward.

Gwen, despite having given Merlin her jacket and her coat and making him nestle them in his corner of the booth, tried to slide into the seat next to him. _Tried_ being the key word. Before she even got her bum on, Arthur spluttered, "There's enough room for both of us on this seat."

Gwen looked at him for one long moment, Merlin stared at her, and then… she moved. And sat next to Arthur.

Even though she was next to him, though, she couldn't have felt farther away.


	58. 58

_58\. You don't have to say anything._

Arthur didn't even have to say anything before he knew what she was going to say.

"Don't," he told her, cutting her off before _she_ could say anything.

"But I need to," she whispered, her voice quiet and high and sad. And guilty, Arthur noticed. Then he was mad at himself all over again for making her feel like she had something to be apologetic about.

"No, you don't," Arthur murmured, flipping over and reaching a hand up to turn on the light.

But she placed her hand on his wrist to stop him.

"You don't want to see me right now," she told him with a short laugh. "I… I don't even think I have any tears left."

He frowned and pulled his wrist out of her grasp. He knew exactly where she was sitting – in the beanbag chair, just next to his bed, perched with her legs tucked up against her body and her hands on the handle. Without even hesitating, he reached out to where her waist would be, and tried to pull her up.

"You shouldn't forgive me," she mumbled.

"You're right," Arthur said back, still trying to hoist her onto his bed. "I shouldn't. Because there's nothing you even have to apologize for."

"But I ignored you, even though you felt so bad, and –"

"Gwen."

"And it was dumb, because I practically told Lance everything you told him myself, and –"

" _Gwen_."

"And then I went on that date with Will, just so I didn't have to spend another night sitting in the room next to you, and –"

" _Guinevere_."

He could hear her gulp and he laughed, squeezing her sides with his hands.

"You don't have to say anything."

Luckily, she didn't. She let him use his hands to guide her onto his bed, and then, with no sort of communication, they embraced, with her wrapping her arms around his neck and him wrapping his tighter around her waist.

And they fell asleep like that.

Just like old times.

* * *

so this is finished, but im gonna take a nice long time to post it and let you guys suffer. ;)


	59. 59

_59\. Wow._

"Wow."

"Yeah. Wow."

Arthur wasn't even looking at the announcement, though. He was looking at Gwen.

"They're… getting married?"

She bit her lip and looked up at Arthur from her phone.

"I guess so?"

Arthur cocked his head to the side, opened his mouth to say something, and then closed it.

"Is their wedding gonna be, like… in the woods?"

"Is her bouquet gonna have, like… berries and twigs in it?"

"Is her dress going to be a leaf?"

"What, just like a singular leaf?"

Gwen nodded, squeezing her mouth shut to try and avoid bursting out into laughter. "Yeah. Like, a big one, obviously."

Arthur chuckled and shook his head, his eyes returning to the screen.

"So. Merlin and Freya."

"Married."

"Before _us_?"

Gwen turned around, grinning but also raising an eyebrow.

"I mean… to other people, obviously."

"Obviously."

Gwen and Arthur both looked back at her phone, but their minds were still holding on what he just said.

"Wow."

"Yeah. Wow."


	60. 60

_60\. Happy birthday._

"Part of me is hesitant to give you a birthday present this year when you didn't even end up using your ukulele," Arthur told Gwen, handing her the box with extreme mock reluctance.

"It was beautiful, Arthur, but I have long fingernails and… well, I would rather listen to ukulele music then make it."

"Fair enough," Arthur said as she grabbed the box from his hands. He noticed that her fingernails were filed down – not long like she had claimed them to be.

Huh. Maybe she just didn't like the ukulele.

He watched in excitement as she unraveled the ribbon, folded down each side of the gift wrapping, and slid the box out from underneath. Except the joke was on her, of course. Underneath the wrapping paper was a cardboard box with no labels and no markings. She looked up at him and glared.

"I hate you."

"I know you do," he replied, tilting his head back and laughing. "Now, open the box."

"This isn't going to be some weird sex thing, is it?"

Arthur pretended to go silent and Gwen leaned over, smacking his arm.

"I'm kidding."

She narrowed her eyes at him but began to open the box anyway.

"Maybe."

After about ten more minutes of Gwen smacking Arthur's arm, unwrapping at least six different boxes from inside each other, and going into the kitchen to get more wine and cake, Gwen had found her present in the bottom of the cardboard box.

A necklace with a small, silver shield pendant at the bottom.

When he had put it on for her, she tapped the shield against the sword pendant around his neck, and went into the kitchen to get more cake.

"Oh, and Gwen?" Arthur called from the other room. "Happy birthday."


	61. 61

_61\. I'll pick it up after work._

"I'm not gonna be home tonight."

Gwen frowned, letting her hair down and flow around her shoulders.

"Why?"

"I have to go to Morgana's and pick something up," Arthur told her, his voice somewhat undistinguishable because of the static. "Just something from dad."

"But we had movie night on tonight," Gwen told him, wedging the phone between her ear and her shoulder and twisting her hair up into a knot again.

Arthur sighed into the phone. "I know, but this is important," he told her. "A cheque or something. For the work I did at the office last year."

"A little late, isn't it?" Gwen said.

This time, he laughed. "A good point," he responded. "Anyway, don't make me dinner. I'll pick something up on the way home."

Gwen furrowed her eyebrows and stepped away from the mirror in the employee's washroom, pushing her way back into the dining room of the restaurant. "I'll pick it up after work."

"What?"

"The cheque. Morgana's house is just a bus ride away, and then I can catch the 310 down the street that's coming back home."

"You're sure?" If he was standing in front of her, she knew Arthur would be biting his lip. "It's okay, you know, I –"

"No, no, I'm sure," Gwen told him.

"Alright," he replied. "I'll have something ready for you when you get home."

"Lasagna?" Gwen asked, biting her lip.

He chuckled into the phone. "We'll see."


	62. 62

_62\. It can wait until tomorrow._

"I need to tell Lance I'm coming to the wedding," Gwen whispered sleepily against the warm fabric of Arthur's flannel, her hands reaching out in an attempt to grab her cell phone from Arthur's side of the couch.

"It's midnight, Gwen," Arthur whispered back. "He's probably not even awake."

"Nnnn, but… I need to let him knoow," Gwen repeated.

"Do you think it's a good idea to go to the wedding?"

Gwen thought about it for a second. There wasn't any reason it _wasn't_ a good idea. She wasn't going to try and convince Lance to run away with her or anything; she wanted to support him in his future life with his new wife. That's all she thought about doing, and that's all she even wanted to do.

And, besides, she didn't want Lance any more. She didn't know what she wanted, but she knew it wasn't him.

And maybe Arthur was right. Maybe it could wait.

Especially because his arm was so nice and hot and it made her forget the rainy, cool weather outside their window right now.

And he smelled nice. Like wine and pepper. And wood.

And he was here. And Lance wasn't. And Lance hadn't been for a long time.

But Arthur had.

"It can wait until tomorrow," Gwen finally murmured, her mind slipping into sleep.

"It can wait until tomorrow," Arthur repeated back to her, letting his head tip onto hers and falling asleep, too.


	63. 63

_63\. Cross my heart and hope to die._

"You have to be honest."

"I will."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise, Arthur."

Arthur narrowed his eyes and sat back on his hands. "Do you really?"

Gwen, rolling her eyes, crossed her arms over her chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

"Stick a needle in your eye?"

"Okay, not that far."

Arthur ran his thumb over the face of his sword necklace, breathing in and out softly in an attempt to control his beating heart. He didn't have to ask her. He knew that. He didn't have to ask her and he didn't have to hear the answer and he didn't have to find out if she really –

"I have work, Arthur."

"Did you actually want to go on that date with Will?"

"What?"

Arthur looked up at her and shrugged. "I mean, when we were… you know, fighting, did you actually want to go on that date with Will? Or did you really just do it to get out of the house?"

Gwen was silent for a moment before giving him a grin. "Arthur Pendragon, are you jealous?"

Arthur blushed profusely and shook his head. "No, no, of course not!" he protested, but Gwen just clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

"That's so sweet," she giggled, and then stood up from the couch and pulled on her jacket. "And no, by the way. I didn't. I just didn't want to see you."

Arthur exhaled all the air he had been holding.

"And I figured he would piss you off the most."

His eyes snapped upwards. "I knew it."

"Now, I have to go to work!" she sang, running to the door and pulling it open.

"I knew it! I fu-"

She slammed the door shut and leaned against it, breathing in heavily through her nose.


	64. 64

_64\. It's two sugars, right?_

"And then, he said, 'it's two sugars, right?'"

Arthur shook his head and scoffed, tossing the ball into the air and catching it before it landed back down on his chest.

"What a moron," Arthur muttered. "'It's two sugars, right?' Was he even awake when you guys were together?"

"I know," Gwen said in disbelief.

She went quiet and stared at her hands. Arthur whistled to get her attention.

"Don't go out with him again. It's not good for your head."

"I know," she told him. "Don't worry. I know."

Arthur returned to throwing the ball back in the air, and was beginning to forget she was there when she spoke again.

"Do you want to come to the wedding with me?"


	65. 65

_65\. I'll help you study._

Gwen and Arthur were finally talking down and sitting about school.

It was a conversation that was happening far too late, to be honest, but now that they were both 23, with part-time jobs, a nice apartment, and ideas about their future, they had decided to actually sit down with pamphlets and talk about potential universities and community colleges they could attend in the fall. With price still in mind, of course. They would go crazy if their living space was any smaller - and if they couldn't live with each other at all.

"What about teaching?" Arthur suggested.

Gwen looked up at him and shook her head, tossing a pamphlet into the 'not a chance' pile. "I'd be bad at teaching," she told him, picking up another paper from the mound they had collected that day. "You know how little patience I have when it comes to teaching you things. Like how to do laundry."

"That was confusing."

"But I find it easy, just like I find math easy, and I feel like I would end up… I dunno, biting someone's head off if they asked me how to add more than one time. You remember when Merlin asked me how to take the bus when he sold his car? I showed him how to use a bus pass, like, twelve times."

Arthur laughed but turned his attention back to the small booklet in his lap.

"I'm bad at exams," he mumbled, half to himself and half to Gwen. "I'd fail all of them."

"I'll help you study."

He looked up at her. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

That didn't seem to intrigue him anymore. In fact, by the end of the day, all of the pamphlets had gone in the trash.


	66. 66

_66\. Stay over._

"Don't come home."

Arthur's words weren't guilty or mysterious. It wasn't like he was bringing a girl home and wanted Gwen to stay at Freya's because he didn't want her to see. In fact, the sounded more like a warning than anything.

"What?" Gwen said, confused. Freya put a hand on her shoulder and tried to tug her backwards to share a look. "Why not?"

"Someone – I don't know who – I think someone broke in. The door knob is fucked. I think it's broken. It's kind of hanging from the door. And I don't know if they're still in here."

Gwen's heart was climbing into her throat, but not because their apartment had been broken into, and maybe their stuff had been stolen and maybe they'd have to pay a fine for the broken doorknob with the landowner. No, she wasn't worried about that – she was worried because Arthur was there, alone, and the criminal might still be hanging around, ready to pounce on anyone who came into the home, unsuspecting and unprepared for an attack.

She didn't even think before getting up and getting on her coat.

"Gwen, don't. Stay over – stay at Freya's, okay?"

"Arthur, you can't stop me."

"Guinevere, I swear to God, if you –"

"No full names today, Arthur. No swears. No nothing. I'm coming, and I'm coming with a very sharp set of keys, and you can't stop me."

Arthur sighed into the speaker and then, eventually, sighed again.

"I'll run through the apartment first."

"Arthur, no."

"Just the living room."

She reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek and nodded. "Just the living room," she confirmed. "And you hear anything, you wait for me."

He hung up. She knew she would have to get there fast to make sure he wasn't alone.


	67. 67

_67\. I did the dishes._

Arthur emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel and tossing it on the floor.

"I did the dishes," he announced, but Gwen didn't look up from her spot on the couch.

The intruder – whoever had broken into their apartment – took a lot. So much, in fact, that they must've had more than one accomplice. They took the television. They took Arthur's boom box with all of the stickers. They took Gwen's ukulele, her laptop, her jewelry box, and, worst of all, a pair of her mother's diamond earrings that Gwen kept on her bedside table for luck. The apartment felt bare, now. And unsafe, considering as they hadn't gotten the doorknob fixed and had nothing more than the chain and a chair pushed against the door at night.

Gwen had been quiet for a couple of days. She went in to work, of course, and didn't get in trouble or anything for not being as bright as normal, but at home, she was… different.

Today, she had been crying. And she was crying again.

"Gwen," Arthur said, sitting next to her and putting a tender hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know what to do," she wept softly, placing her hands over her face and shaking her head. "I don't know what to do."

"I know."

"I love the apartment, Arthur," she said sadly. "I love it. And it's… it's different now."

"I know."

"And I'm still scared."

Arthur moved closer to her so that their knees were touching and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against him. "You don't have to be."

"But I do," she cried. "I do, because… because you came home alone that day. You came home alone because I blew off our dinner date and – and what if they had still been in here, you know? What if you died? I'm not always around, you know, sometimes, and I'm not always going to be there for you, and it just made me so aware that… you could die and I might not even be around for it. I might not even know until after you're found."

Arthur didn't know what to say anything.

"I just want to protect you. I don't want you to die."

He squeezed her shoulder tightly and pressed his face into the crook of her neck.

"I'm not going anywhere. No matter what or who gets in my way, Gwen, I'm not leaving you."


	68. 68

_68\. You didn't have to ask._

Gwen had been staying at Freya's so often that when she came through the front door, soaked head-to-toe from the rain outside, Arthur almost thought the robbers had broken in again. In all honesty, he expected to see them come through the front door more often than he thought it would be her.

"You're not... staying at Freya's?" Arthur asked from his armchair, closing the magazine he had been reading about colleges.

Gwen shook her head and hung her coat up on the new set of coat hangers next to the door. (Arthur put them up because the robbers had, of course, taken a painting that used to hang in their place.) "You're not staying at Merlin's, and I'm not leaving you."

"Gwen –"

"I brought home Mexican," Gwen interrupted, holding up a greasy paper bag.

Arthur grinned at her. "Hurry up, then, will ya?"

They ate dinner that night at the couch, sitting cross-legged across from each other and talking more about college. As they got ready for bed later, Arthur stayed out in the living room while Gwen used the bathroom to brush her teeth, and then, when it was his turn, he let her sit on the toilet seat after he had peed to make sure that she felt they were both as safe as they could be. He was surprised to see her creep into her own room after kissing his cheek goodnight.

Except, a little past two in the morning, she snuck into his room, probably trying to be as quiet as possible. But she stepped on an empty chip bag at the last second. He shot up from his half-asleep state and rubbed his eyes, nearly reaching out to grab the baseball bat he now kept beside his bed, when she whispered, "No, no, I'm sorry, it's just me. It's just Gwen."

He sighed and fell backwards.

"Can I… can I sleep with you tonight?"

Then, he smiled, pulling back his quilt and rolling over to give her more room.

"You didn't have to ask."


	69. 69

_69\. I bought you a ticket._

"I bought you a ticket," Gwen said.

"I'm at home," Arthur replied, tossing a piece of popcorn in the air and catching it in his mouth.

"I know," Gwen told him. "That's why I bought it for you."

It's not that Arthur didn't want to spend time with Gwen. It's not that he didn't appreciate that she worried about him so much. It's just… she was so on-edge and nervous now. All she thought about was when they would be home and if they weren't home together, when would they both be home, and if Arthur was home alone, did he have his baseball bat nearby, and was he drinking, because he couldn't hit an intruder right if he had been drinking.

He liked that she worried about him. But he didn't like that she didn't even worry about herself, at all.

Especially with Lance's wedding creeping up so fast. She needed to focus on herself more. This was the last thing they had needed – the robbery. It had made everything so much worse.

Arthur nodded. He wanted to make her happy. That's all he ever wanted. He stood up, grabbed his keys, and told her, "I'm on my way."

He gave the doorknob a tight squeeze before walking away.

As much as she hated leaving him by himself, he hated leaving the home they had built together with nothing more than a shitty doorknob to protect everything they had made.


	70. 70

_70\. You're warm._

"You're warm," Arthur giggled into her ear. Gwen pushed him away and giggled too.

"You're cold," she whispered. "You would think, all of that muscle, that you'd be radiating heat. But your hands… so cold, Arthur, so _cold_."

"You're so warm," he murmured, pushing his nose against her jawline. "Like a fluffy pillow. Like a pillow filled with… pizza."

"Pizza."

"Yeah," Arthur replied. "Pizza.

"Arthur, you're drunk," Gwen laughed.

"Guinevere, you're _drunker_ ," Arthur said, sticking his tongue between his teeth.

It had started out as a simple evening. They were only supposed to have a few drinks, just to get their minds off of things and let their nerves cool down, but then it turned into shots, and who could drink a glass of wine the fastest, and… well, things had really begun to escalate.

"I think you're the most… beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"I think you're sexy as hell," Gwen growled in his ear. "I think that you look nicer in clothes than when you're shirtless."

"Do you wanna test that theory?" Arthur growled back, lacing his hands around her waist, just above her bum, and pulling him onto his lap.

They did.

And, once the shirt was off, they both fell asleep.

Well, Arthur fell asleep.

Gwen pressed a dainty kiss to his mouth, laid her head in his lap, and counted the red solo cups on the coffee table. Three were hers. Six were his.

She wasn't as drunk as she was letting on.


	71. 71

_71\. No reason._

"It smells awful in here," Arthur grumbled as he sat down on the edge of the bathtub, head in his hands.

"Fuck you," Gwen mumbled, head suspended over the toilet. "You smell worse."

Arthur didn't say anything but moaned instead, rubbing his temples with his thumbs.

"Do you even remember what happened last night?" Gwen whispered, and then promptly let out a wicked cough.

"No, why?" Arthur responded, pulling his head out of his hands to look at her.

She didn't look back at him. "No reason."


	72. 72

_72\. I'll meet you halfway._

Gwen nearly had a panic attack when Arthur texted her that something bad had happened. In fact, the woman in the seat next to her on the bus had to ask her if she was okay or if she needed to get off. But Gwen said no. She kept saying no because Arthur wasn't answering her texts, and if she was left alone, on a random road, in the middle of the night, she knew she would go crazy.

 _Text to Arthur, 8:59 pm_

 _Arhutr answer me right now please please_

 _Text to Gwen_ :) _, 9:01 pm_

 _Merlin's in the hospital. I'm on my way right now_

 _Text to Arthur, 9:02 pm_

 _Oh my god. Where are you_

 _Text to Gwen_ :) _, 9:03 pm_

 _I just left with Gwaine_

 _Text to Arthur, 9:04 pm_

 _I passed it a few minutes ago_

 _Text to Gwen_ :) _, 9:04 pm_

 _I'll meet you halfway – get off at the next big store that looks busy. Or a restaurant. Tell me where you are_ _when you get there_

 _Text to Arthur, 9:05 pm_

 _Hurry, please_


	73. 73

_73\. Take mine._

Gwen never really stopped creeping into Arthur's bedroom late at night. Most of the time, she just wanted to make sure he was alive and breathing. But tonight, she asked him a rather odd question - well, an odd question for 3 in the morning, that was somewhat hard for Arthur to comprehend.

"What?"

"I said do you have an extra baseball bat?"

Arthur chuckled sleepily and shook his head. "Just the one. Why?"

Gwen bit her lip. "Because, I… I just want one. So if you're being attacked, then I can do that thing in movies where I come up behind the bad guys and hit them on the back of the head and knock them out."

"I don't have another one, Gwen, sorry," Arthur told her.

"Shit," Gwen mumbled. "Okay, well, that's –"

"Take mine."

Her head swiveled around. "What?"

"Take mine," Arthur repeated, reaching out and handing it to her. "I'd be happier if you had it, anyway. They could use it against me if I had it."

"You're sure?"

Arthur nodded, placing it in her palm and closing her fingers around it. "Of course."


	74. 74

_74\. We can share._

Gwen watched as Arthur shoveled the cake into his mouth with a hunger she hadn't seen in a very, very long time.

"I'm so glad you learned how to cook," Arthur told her through a big mouthful, crumbs flying from his lips and onto the couch. Gwen, eyebrows furrowed, swiped them off and turned her attention to the new TV across the room. "This is phenomenal, Gwen."

"That's rather high praise, innit?" Gwen replied, flipping through the TV channels. A rerun of Castle was on. She clicked on it and then turned her head when she saw Arthur staring at her.

"You want some," he said, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand.

"It's yours," Gwen told him.

"But you want some."

"But it's your birthday cake and it's small, anyway. I don't need any."

"We can share."

"Arthur."

" _Guinevere_."

Gwen was watching the smile curl onto his face and shook her head, standing up and walking into the kitchen for a second fork.

"I get the last bite, though," Arthur called after her, and she laughed, shaking her head.


	75. 75

_75\. I was just thinking about you._

Gwen couldn't really deny what was happening any longer.

She didn't know when she started to like – or love – Arthur as more than just a best friend. At first, she couldn't quite place when it had happened, or why, but what she did know was that, when she felt the twinge in her heart, she realized she had been feeling it for a long time. Two years. Maybe longer.

She was upset that Lance broke up with her, of course. And seeing him was still upsetting. But… not because she still loved him. Because a part of her – a part of her she didn't know existed – felt like she had wasted time on him that she could've spent with Arthur. Because what neither of them talked about, ever since it happened, was that when they had just become roommates, there had been… something. A small something, but a something nonetheless. In the middle of the night. A kiss – tender and sweet – when Gwen had been crying for hours about how much it didn't seem like Lance loved her and Arthur didn't know how to calm her and… he just kissed her. And kissed her again. And kissed her a third time and he kissed her until she fell asleep with one hand slipped up the back of her shirt and the other tangled in her hair.

That something made her want Arthur, but she was still really with Lance, and she thought she still _loved_ him. So, of course, she hadn't acted on it. She thought she would marry Lance and be with him forever.

And then he broke up with her, and then Arthur pretended like that _something_ hadn't happened – hell, maybe even he didn't remember – and then she forgot it happened, too. And forgot about that feeling. Or maybe she just tried to ignore it, thinking Arthur wouldn't want it like she did and deciding it would be best to push it away.

And then, when Arthur told Lance that the break-up had upset her and seeing him upset her and that he thought that she might still love him, she was angry. But not at him. At herself. She was angry at herself because she wanted those things to be true so badly – because they would make things so much simpler and nicer – but they weren't. The only thing she had been upset about was that she felt like she had wasted time with Lance. Not because she still loved him. Not because she thought they were going to get married. Because she felt like everything had been a waste of time, and that was mean, and Arthur was the reason she felt that way.

So she took it out on him, which wasn't fair.

It was just… things had been truly different since their kiss at the Christmas party; it had been really hard to hold back from kissing him sometimes, like when he was sleepy, and his lips were pouty and doll-like and she just wanted to kiss them until he woke up, or when he was upset and angry and throwing his hands about, she wanted to grab them and pin them behind his back and kiss him until he couldn't even remember why he was so mad anymore.

But she didn't think Arthur wanted it. So she tried to deny it.

But everything she felt… she loved him.

And she didn't want to. Oh, she didn't want to so badly. Because it complicated everything that had happened with Lance. Because it made her feel like she was a bad person for having liked Arthur so long. Because he didn't love her back. And one day, she would kiss him, when he was sober and wide awake and aware. And then she would ruin everything.

She couldn't act on it. She couldn't think about it if she wanted to keep going on as friends.

But it was… so hard.

"Gwen!" Arthur said, walking backwards to poke his head through the bathroom door. "I was just thinking about you."

"Oh?" Gwen replied, looking up from her make-up bag. "Were you really?"

"For the wedding," he began, leaning against the door frame. "What dress are you planning on wearing?"

"Dress?" she scoffed, opening her tube of mascara. "I'm wearing my 'I hate Lance' t-shirt and my shitty tights, Arthur. Didn't you know?"

"No, seriously," Arthur said through a chuckle. "I want to get a tie to match."

Gwen's heart caught in her throat. It was things like this that made her want to tackle him and rub her face all over his face.

"The yellow one."

"With the high neck and the cut down the side?"

Gwen nodded. "Yeah."

Arthur grinned at her. "Okay."

He walked away. Gwen sighed softly and turned back to her reflection in the mirror, sighing and pulling at a strand of hair. This was all so confusing. She didn't hate Lance, really. He didn't really do anything wrong. It was her that had done everything wrong – she had kissed Arthur, and then she had fallen for him, and then she had wasted her time on a man she didn't love for three months before he broke up with her. And now he was happy, and he had moved on, and that made her mad, because she wished she could move on from Arthur. But she couldn't.

She supposed this was her karma for letting him kiss her all those months ago.


	76. 76

_76\. I want you to have this._

It wasn't supposed to turn into something Arthur liked. But it had.

There was something so… romantic about seeing Gwen wear his clothes. And he knew they weren't dating, and he knew she didn't like him, and he knew they were supposed to just be friends, and he knew she probably still wasn't over Lance, but… friends could wear each other's shirts, right? Girls did it, and Merlin used to borrow his jeans, so why couldn't Gwen wear his hoodies?

She seemed a little shocked when he handed it to her and he wondered if he had made the wrong decision.

"I want you to have this," he told her quickly, beginning to feel a little bit of panic. "It's too small for me now and… and green's just your colour, you know?"

"Really?" Gwen asked.

"Really," he told her. "So... put it on."

She unzipped it carefully and pulled it over her shoulders. Truth was, it wasn't too small for Arthur. In fact, it was one of his favourite sweaters. But Gwen had worn it last week when she had to make a snack run to the grocery store and couldn't find her rain jacket, and he didn't want her to take it off when she got home. And then he didn't wash it because it smelled like her – like lavender and chocolate and peaches – and then… he just wanted her to wear it again, because it was his, but she wore it like it was _theirs_.

"How do I look?" she asked, spinning around and striking a pose.

"Good," Arthur told her, eyes wide. "Good. Great."

 _Theirs._

"Thank you, Arthur," she told him, leaning down and pressing a friendly kiss to his cheek. "I love it."

As she pulled away, her face hovered a little too close to his for a little too long that he could feel his heart begin to beat faster. She was right there. She was right there and she smelt amazing and looked amazing in the hoodie and her jean shorts with just the perfect length and her hair was falling out in strands from the bun she had spent ten minutes centering in the back of her head and –

"Leave it paused," she told him as she stood up. "I have to pee."

As she wandered away, Arthur couldn't help but admire how the green looked against her skin.


	77. 77

_77\. Call me if you need anything._

Gwen didn't want to leave Arthur home alone. She still didn't feel safe leaving him there by himself. But she had to go out to celebrate the engagement with Freya; she had already been two months behind on it. Arthur couldn't find anyone else to hang out, though, with so he had had to stay home alone. He promised he would lock the door and steal the baseball bat from her room and keep a watchful ear out for any suspicious noise in the hallway.

"And I'll be home at one, so… you can go to sleep before or after, but don't be scared if the door opens at one and please don't try to kill me."

"I won't," Arthur reassured her, his hands on her shoulders, giving her a gentle shake.

"And remember your keys if you go out, please."

"I will."

"And call me if you need anything."

Arthur grinned and shook his head. "I'm going to be fine, Gwen."

She was still skeptical. She wanted him to go to bed before she came home. She couldn't make any promises to herself about what she would do if she came home drunk and he was sitting on the couch, looking as unshaven and perfect as always.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay," Gwen laughed, stepping out of his grasp and tip-toeing to the door. "Okay, I'll… I'll be home."

Arthur watched her leave and sighed, falling backwards onto the couch.


	78. 78

_78\. Do you want to come too?_

Gwen was sick. Again.

And not just a cold this time, either. She had been throwing up for two days straight, her face green and her hands shaky. And Arthur _really_ didn't want to leave her home alone, but the boys had been planning this party for Merlin for weeks and, being his best male friend, Arthur felt like he had to go, no matter how sick Gwen was.

Except she looked so pitiful, and he wanted to stay so badly it almost made _him_ want to vomit.

"Are you sure?"

Gwen flapped her hand at him and nodded. "I'm sure."

"I can stay."

"Arthur Pendragon," she began, "you need to go to Merlin's party. It's not like I didn't totally ditch you a few weeks ago to celebrate the engagement with Freya."

"But I wasn't sick."

"Go."

Arthur was almost out of her bedroom before he whirled around on his heel. "Do you want to come, too?"

"What?" Gwen asked.

"Morgana's coming," he told her. "Well, I mean, she's bringing the food."

"That doesn't mean anything," Gwen replied with a gentle roll of her eyes. "She's the caterer. Of course she's bringing the –"

Gwen covered her mouth with her hand.

"Food."

Arthur took a step into the room but she cut him off before he could even offer up any solutions. "Go, Arthur," she whispered. "It wouldn't be pretty here anyway."

And he went.

But he made sure to leave a little bit early and tucked Gwen into bed.


	79. 79

_79\. I'll still be here when you're ready._

Gwen had told Arthur she wanted to tell him something a half an hour ago, and then she panicked and hid in her room. He had no idea what to expect, really – was she pregnant? Was she dying? He knew she had a doctor's appointment last week, but… he thought maybe if she had been told that she had cancer that she would've said something sooner. Or maybe she was confessing her deep love for him.

 _If only_ , Arthur thought.

He tapped his toes against the bottom of her door again, leaning his head back against the wall. She was barely even talking to him, and he had been waiting outside her bedroom for twenty minutes.

What was she doing in there?

"I'm sorry," she squeaked.

"It's fine, Gwen."

"Just… just give me a minute."

"I'll still be here when you're ready."

Five minutes past. Then ten. Then fifteen, and just when they were going on twenty, she opened the door.

"I don't like Lance anymore."

His eyes widened. What did she just say?

"I'm… over him."

Arthur had to keep his cool. He had to pretend like that was nothing more than just a nice, neat new fact. It didn't mean anything, of course. It didn't mean that she liked him or anything. It just meant that she didn't like Lance anymore. Maybe she had moved on to someone else. Maybe she was dating Gwaine. Or Percy. Then Arthur remembered Percy had a girlfriend for a long time, and he was almost positive it wasn't Gwen.

"I don't think I was upset about the breakup, either, really," she confessed quietly, drawing her knees to her chest. "I… I think I stopped loving him a while before. With… everything that was happening…"

Arthur nodded, trying to pretend he cared about the explanation when he really just cared more about the confession.

"And our relationship, I just… I think there were other things – and other… people – and I don't think we would've worked out anyway."

Arthur nodded again.

"I think it's just so upsetting because I feel like I wasted all that time when there were other people – well, another… person – who could've… Yeah."

Arthur's breath hitched in his throat. _Me?_ he asked to himself, then shook his head. No. Of course it wasn't. That kiss… that kiss hadn't meant anything to Gwen. It did to Arthur, but it didn't mean anything to Gwen. He knew that. She had been upset, and then she had fallen asleep, and then she didn't say anything about it the next day…

"Just wanted to let you know."

Arthur's eyes trailed from the ceiling down to Gwen's face. He gave her a shrug, trying not to let her know how relieved he was that she at least didn't like Lance anymore, and smiled. "Thanks," he told her. "What do you want for dinner?"


	80. 80

_80\. Is your seatbelt on?_

Normally, it was Gwen who helped Arthur when he was drunk.

But today, it was the other way around. Morgana hadn't pressured Gwen to drink, per say, but every time Gwen said she'd take a sprite, Morgana handed her some sort of fruity concoction that Gwaine had created and said it would taste just as good. And it did. Maybe that was the problem – maybe that was why Gwen drank so many, and why she couldn't even stumble to Gwaine's car upright without Arthur's arm wrapped around her waist.

Arthur hoped Gwaine could just crash at Morgana's. It would take him far too long to take Gwen home and he wouldn't be able to return the car back tonight if he wanted to sleep, too.

Getting her in the passenger seat was easy enough, although she did accidentally bump her head on the way in, and for the first little bit of the car ride, nothing really… exciting happened. She stayed quiet – probably trying not to throw up in Gwaine's new car. And then, halfway home, she said something under her breath. Arthur turned to look at her, easing through the stop sign, and when she was halfway through repeating what she had said, there was... a loud honk to the left that was quickly getting closer. So close that it sounded the car was going to hit them.

Arthur slammed on the brakes just in time, sending Gwen nearly flying forward. The car swerved out of the way and honked in anger. Arthur inhaled deeply. Gwen coughed.

"That was close."

He glanced over at her. She was fine. Nothing had happened. But –

"Is your seatbelt on?"

Gwen stared at him and shook her head.

That was close.

Too close.

He made sure she was asleep before he went to bed himself that night.


	81. 81

_81\. Sweet dreams._

As much as Gwen hated doctors, she hated dentists even more.

Maybe it was the fact that the pointy things were not in her arm, but instead, they were… in her mouth. The thing she used to speak and eat with - two of her favourite things. She would be fine – well, not fine, perhaps just slightly less upset – if she lost her arm due to a needle malfunction; she would not be okay to lose her mouth because the dentist stabbed her gums or ripped the top of her mouth open or accidentally pulled out every single one of her teeth. How would she eat lasagna? she always asked Arthur. From a tube?

She was in tears in the waiting room and begged the doctors to let Arthur come in and sit with her until they put her under.

"You're going to be fine," Arthur murmured to her, leaning his head on his hand. "You're going to be fine, Gwen."

"But what if –"

"I will chew up lasagna and spit it into your mouth like a mother bird," he whispered into her ear, and despite the fear running through her body, she laughed, closing her eyes and placing her hands over her face.

Arthur looked up to see the doctor standing in the doorway.

"Ready?" he asked, standing up from the chair beside Gwen.

"Ready," the doctor replied, his assistants coming in with the anesthesia to put Gwen under.

"You'll be fine, Gwen," Arthur told her. "Sweet dreams."


	82. 82

_82\. I was in the neighbourhood._

"I was in the neighbourhood," Lance told her, leaning against the doorframe.

Gwen raised an eyebrow and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She didn't know why she felt so bare and uncomfortable around him suddenly – he had seen her in less than a housecoat and thin PJs many, many times before. But maybe it was more than the clothes. Maybe it was the fact that he was showing up to their house at 8 a.m. – so early Arthur wasn't even awake.

"Is there… something you wanted?"

Lance nodded and smiled. "There is, actually," he replied. "You haven't… uh, how do I put this? You haven't let me know if you're coming to the wedding."

Gwen could hear Arthur waking up in the room behind her but ignored him. "Oh, my, I'm so sorry," she said, shaking her head. How could she be so forgetful? "Yeah, I'm – we're – coming."

"We?"

"Arthur," she responded. "Me and him… you said I could bring a plus one?"

Lance's smile faltered, she noticed. And something flickered in his eyes – something she had seen only once before. When they had broken up. "Ah, of course," he said. "I'll… see you soon. Just a couple months, now."

"Yeah," Gwen muttered, staring at her feet. He deserved to be happy. She had cheated on him. She didn't mean to, of course. But she had kissed Arthur. And then she stopped loving Lance. And she deserved to be lonely. He deserved to get married to a presumably wonderful accountant.

"Well, I'll – I'll see you there."

"Yeah," Gwen said again. "Yeah, see you there."

She shut the door tightly behind him and leaned against it.

"Who was that?" Arthur asked, fixing his shirt as he walked into the living room.

"No one," Gwen answered quickly. "No one."

Arthur wasn't convinced.


	83. 83

a little clarification for those who were confused by the last chapter - each number or way to say 'i love you' in this fic is only one person saying it to the other. arthur and gwen say them to each other in their own chapters which means they both love each other, but they show it in different ways. if lance says 'i love you' in one of the ways to gwen, but she doesn't say one to him... maybe lance isn't as over gwen as she is over him...

* * *

 _83\. Stay there. I'm coming to get you._

Gwen didn't know why she was going on dates.

Part of her wanted to do it to push her feelings for Arthur away. They were too complicated and made everything too messy. And then, there was a voice in her head that said maybe the more dates she went on, the more jealous he would get. And then… something would happen.

It wasn't a very good plan, of course.

This, however, was a particularly bad date. This man had somehow thought that Gwen's movements towards the bread bowl at the centre of the table was her way of secretly trying to hint at him that he should grab her hand. And massage it with his thumb. And just… kiss it. And keep kissing it until the dinner came.

Once she had downed her fish, which she did with a pace she didn't even know was possible, she ran off to the ladies' room and called Arthur.

"He keeps holding my hand," she grumbled into the phone, pressing her bum against the stall door and sliding down to the floor.

"Did you say he could? Or that you wanted him to?"

"No," Gwen replied. "I don't wanna be here, Arthur."

Arthur sighed into the phone and shook his head. "Okay," he told her. "Okay. Stay there. I'm coming to get you."

"Right now?" Gwen asked. She didn't want to be rude to this poor man; his girlfriend had broken up with him just a few months ago, Morgana told her, and he was having trouble trusting women, so he must really like Gwen…

And then she thought about his lips on her hand and shuddered.

"Tell him you were sick in the bathroom or something," Arthur said. "I'll catch the bus."

"It's just a few blocks away."

"Okay. I'll be there in a few."

"Bye."


	84. 84

_84\. The key is under the mat._

Gwen had forgotten her keys. And that, in and of itself, was a rare enough occurrence – however, an even rarer occurrence was that Arthur wasn't letting her inside the apartment without making her "work for it".

"Remember when I lost your keys a few months ago and you nearly bit my head off?" Arthur said through the door.

"This is different," Gwen whined. "I had to beg management to give us another pair because of you. I just forgot mine on my desk because you hogged the bathroom and I had to rush to work."

Arthur rapped his knuckles against the door and clicked his tongue. "You gotta work for it, Gwen."

"Like how?" Gwen grumbled.

"Look for the spare," Arthur told her. "Check… in the mailbox downstairs –"

"Which you can't get to without a key –"

"Or the laundry room, or –"

"Arthur Pendragon. Please open the door."

"The key is under the mat. Give it a look."

Rolling her eyes, she got down on her hands and knees and pulled aside the doormat.

There was no key, but there was a foot, now, stepping out into the hallway and pushing the doormat back down onto the soft carpet.

"Enjoy the view?" Gwen said as she stood up, brushing past him into the apartment.

"Oh, more than you know, Guinevere," Arthur chuckled, shutting the door behind her.


	85. 85

sorry about the mix up in chapters! i'll just repost them :) 3

* * *

 _85\. It doesn't bother me._

"So you really don't care."

"Nope."

"Arthur…"

"It doesn't bother me."

Gwen frowned and stuck another bobby pin in her hair.

"He's very handsome."

"Gwen."

"And he has a nice car."

"It _doesn't_ bother me." He was lying, of course. It did bother him. A lot.

"I think he graduated college early."

"It doesn't… _bother_ me," Arthur told her, bending down to look under his bed for a pair of underwear he needed to wash but felt the need to hide.

"He's very rich," Gwen said next. "He has glasses."

" _It_ doesn't bother me."

Gwen stood still, nothing moving but the rise and fall of her chest.

Her actually going on the date isn't what bothered him – well, not completely. Arthur was bothered that she wouldn't stop talking about it. It was like she was rubbing it in his face that she didn't love him and she never would, and to make matters impossibly worse, the man was handsome and had a nice car and he was smart and rich and… well, if Arthur didn't already feel bad about himself, he felt worse now.

"It doesn't bother me," he told her again with no emotion this time, trying not to show her how much it did.


	86. 86

_86\. You're important too._

"How would you feel if I moved out?"

Gwen looked up from her magazine and furrowed her eyebrows. It was… a question she didn't think she would ever hear, or at least not hear for a long time. Especially now, with Lance's wedding coming up, and then Merlin and Freya's, and with… everything that was happening. It was odd. And alarming. And Gwen was, to say the least, upset that it was coming up so suddenly.

"What?" she asked.

Arthur stared at her and gnawed on the inside of his cheek. "My dad… I think he's sick of me not doing anything with my life. I'm not going to college or university, yet, and I just work part-time as a mechanic, you know?" He shrugged, picking at a loose thread in his jeans, and tried to ignore her burning gaze. "He offered me to help build a new branch of the business, in another city. It'd be a lot more money."

Gwen glanced away. She didn't want Arthur to leave. He was her best friend before anything else, and this… this was their home. Together. It wouldn't be the same without him – in fact, it wouldn't even be hers without him, because it was far too expensive for her to afford on one person's wage. But… his dad had a point. Neither of them were making any plans for their future and basically relied on each other for almost everything. It would be… good for him. And it would help make up his mind about what he wanted to do as a career, too.

"I… Well, what do you want?"

Arthur shrugged. "I don't really know," he told her. His voice was small. He felt like a little kid, explaining why he had done something crazy to his dad and being afraid he would get scolded. "I don't really know, I just… what do you think about it?"

Gwen couldn't let on how upset she was. She couldn't be so selfish; she knew he couldn't stick around forever. What if he got married? He would have to move out then, of course. She should've expected that this day would come.

"I think that… your future is important," she began steadily. "I think your family is important. I think your happiness and what you _want_ is important."

"You're important too."

He also wanted to tell her that _she_ was what he wanted. But he didn't.

With a smile, Gwen tossed him a piece of popcorn. "Then I think you know what my answer is as well."


	87. 87

_87\. I saved you a seat._

Gwen was late to Morgana's dinner.

She had been so excited about her new catering company that she was having a party at her own house with all her close friends while her employees catered. She said she just wanted to show how good the service was (and hint at Merlin and Freya that they should hire her for their wedding), but Gwen and Arthur talked and agreed Morgana probably just wanted to see how they actually were in the field. And know who to fire.

Arthur had gone early to talk with Merlin, so Gwen was alone on the bus, her leg bouncing nervously up and down. She felt a little too constricted in this red dress, but Arthur had begged her to wear it so she matched his tie. She didn't remember the waist being so tight, though. Or the legs. Or the arms, really. She got off the bus, slung her purse over her shoulder, and trotted down the sidewalk as quickly as she could in her heels. Morgana's house was… the brown one, right? It had been ages since she had come over. They had so many things going on in their lives that they hadn't sat down and chatted in a really long time.

After being escorted to the dining room, she glanced around for someone she could talk to – and then saw Arthur coming up to her, a smile on his face.

"Wow, Gwen. You clean up nice."

"Of course I do." She grinned and punched his forearm lightly, looking around. "Am I too late?"

He shook his head. "Nah," he answered. "Dinner's only just about to start. Come on, I saved you a seat."

Taking her hand in his, he led her over to the table and explained to her why he didn't want to be left alone when his father was here and on the prowl for an answer about the job offer.


	88. 88

p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US"88. I'll see you later./span/emem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US" /span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US"Gwen had been talking to a man. A stranger, in fact./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US"For five minutes./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US"This grocery trip wasn't supposed to become a thing. They were supposed to duck out of the apartment for a couple minutes, buy some milk and eggs for Arthur to make pancakes with tomorrow morning, then come back without having interacted with anyone but their cashier. It was 11 at night, after all. They both had pulled on some random t-shirts (Gwen had worn Arthur's hoodie over top), sweats, and sandals, and they had almost made it through the whole store in fifteen minutes when a man stopped Gwen and asked her if she listened to the band that was on her shirt. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US"And the conversation just… kept on going. And going. And going./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US"And then, God forbid they have a relaxing night at home together and finish up season 5 of Castle, the man asked her if she wanted to go out for coffee./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US"Right now./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US""Go," Arthur told her, waving his hand. "I'll bring the stuff home."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US""Are you sure?" Gwen asked, biting her lip./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US""Yeah," Arthur replied. "I'll see you later."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US"Arthur noticed, walking home that night, that the bags weren't the only things that felt a little too heavy without her./span/p 


	89. 89

p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span lang="EN-US"89. I noticed./span/em/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US"Gwen was furious. And it wasn't just her typical type of fury, either, which was normally over-enunciated words and hot, wet tears – this was just… rage./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US""And this man – oh, this incompetent man – had the em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"nerve/em to ask me if he could have a second slice of cake for free because he had 'been a good customer'."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US""Had he?" Arthur asked, tossing one of her smelly socks into her laundry basket./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US""No!" Gwen told him, whirling around and staring him straight in the eye. "And then – oh my God, it makes me angry to even think about – Heather asked me to close tonight, even though I had already been on for –"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US""Ten hours," Arthur finished./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US"Gwen, huffing and puffing, flopped down next to him. "And everyone was just… so rude."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US""Even me?" Arthur questioned with a smirk, bending down and poking her side./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US"She could've growled at him. "Well, you're not helping." Sitting up, she ran a hand through her hair, and reached back to undo the knot of her apron. But he took it in his own hands and undid it for her before she could even grab it, his heart rate picking up. Touching her, in any way, had been a different experience than it used to be before. It was casual, in the past. Friendly. Now, as he continued to fall deeper and deeper in love with her, he felt different. Tense. Like he didn't want to mess it up and lose all hugging permission forever./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US"She was wandering around her room, now, taking off the outer layers of her work uniform and stuffing them into the laundry basket. He watched her carefully. Part of him wanted to ask if anything else was wrong – he knew she had stopped talking to that man from the grocery store rather suddenly the other day – but he didn't./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US"After she had grabbed a towel and her bathrobe, she was wandering down the hallway when she muttered, "And nobody even noticed my haircut."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US"Before she shut the bathroom door, he called out, "I noticed."/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span lang="EN-US"There were a few seconds of silence before, finally, it creaked shut./span/p 


	90. 90

the final 10 chapters, lads. we're here. and you better prepare yourself, because it'll be crazy.

* * *

 _90\. You can tell me anything._

Gwen and Arthur were drunk. Again. Because they liked getting drunk, and knew that they were safe around each other. Today, as if they were 14 year-old kids who wanted to get into each other's pants, they decided to play truth or dare; which, of course, turned into more of a "answer embarrassing questions I'm asking you because I want blackmail material in the future" type of game.

Both of them played willingly, however.

"Tell me the names of all the women you've loved," Gwen said, lapping red wine up with her tongue as she tilted her glass at a horizontal angle.

"No fucking way," Arthur replied. "Too many."

She kicked him. "Do it."

"No."

"Arthur."

"Fine!"

Except… there weren't any. At least not romantically – other than Gwen, obviously, but there was no way he was going to admit that.

"Can I tell you something?" Gwen asked quietly before he could answer. He raised an eyebrow but nodded, relieved he didn't have to make up some fake names and backstories so it didn't seem like he was inexperienced with dating.

"You can tell me anything," he replied, grabbing her foot in his hand and tickling her heel.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, placing her thumb and forefinger on the bridge of her nose. "I…" With a chuckle, her gaze met his. "Do you remember the night we kissed?"

Arthur died. Like, he could see a bright white light.

He hoped she wasn't going to get mad.

"Yeee-ess…" he answered, completely unsure of where this was going.

"Why did you?"

Arthur thought about it for a second. Why did he? He used to think he had done it to calm her down because she was so upset, but now that he was admitting his feelings for her… he realized he probably just did it because he wanted to. Because he could, because Lancelot was being an asshole, and the moment was… more than perfect. For him, at least.

"To calm you down," Arthur answered before even thinking about the consequences. "Obviously. You were upset, and you weren't listening, and –"

"That's what I thought," Gwen said with a laugh, running her fingers through her loose curly hair. "I knew that. Okay. Just making sure."

Except… she looked disappointed by his answer. Like it had let her down.

Did she think, did she _know_ , he had kissed her because he wanted to?

Had she… wanted that to be the answer?


	91. 91

sorry about the fucked up format on the last few chapters, guys. idk what this crazy website is doing lmao

* * *

 _91\. I hope you like it._

"I bought the tie."

"The tie?" Gwen repeated.

"The tie," Arthur said back. "You know, the one that matches the dress. For the wedding."

Gwen had almost forgotten she had asked Arthur to come to the wedding with her. She was glad she did, though. If she was left alone with nothing but guilt and Lance's happiness, she would go insane. "A yellow one," he told her, bringing her out of her thoughts. "You're still… wearing the yellow dress, right?"

"Yeah," Gwen said, shaking her head. "Yeah, yes, the yellow one. I'm just on break, and it ends in five minutes, but send a picture, okay?"

"Okay," Arthur responded. "I hope you like it. I dragged Morgana with me – she was even more than excited – and she's confident you will."

"I trust Morgana's judgement," Gwen giggled into the phone.

"And mine?" Arthur asked.

"And yours," she confirmed. "Obviously."

"I'll see you when you get home?"

"Yeah."

"Bye."

"Bye."


End file.
